Students from Telangana who need to travel abroad for higher education will be vaccinated on a priority basis, as per the decision taken by the Telangana State Cabinet that met in Hyderabad on Sunday. Maharashtra too has started vaccinating students who want to go abroad for higher education. Lauding this move, educationists and the EdTech sector who help students pursue their education abroad, said that this will help them join classes for Fall 2021.
Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, students studying or planning to study abroad have been dealing with a lot of uncertainty with regards to their classes, whether they would be able to fly or not. "Many students who were supposed to start their classes last year deferred their degree to this year, hoping to be able to attend offline classes. The second wave added more uncertainty to their plans. Now that countries like USA are opening up flights for international students, or allowing vaccinated students to attend classes; students will be able to attend their classes in person. Helping them with priority vaccinations in all states in India will be a great move to allow them to start their degrees in Fall 2021,"said Vaibhav Singh, Co-Founder of Leap.
Even though classes are being conducted online, for now, physical classes might come back soon in a blended learning format. If the students are able to travel now it would be of great help, said Shantanu Rooj, CEO and Founder of Teamlease Edtech. "Several countries are now allowing students to enter their countries once vaccinated as per WHO protocols. Students would have lost a complete year and would have irreparable harm to their careers. Prioritising this cohort shall be beneficial for all students who have taken admission in these foreign universities — even though most universities across the world are conducting their classes online, there are indications that some of them would soon move to a blended format of learning for their students — and for this, the students will need to travel soon," said Shantanu.
The question remains whether other states or the Centre will prioritise students' vaccination. There has been no official announcement indication such a decision yet.
