By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Aug. 13 : The government has decided to vaccinate all university-level students sitting for their examinations against COVID-19.

Issuing a press statement on Wednesday, the Family Welfare Division under the Department of Health Service of the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), directed the concerned authorities to provide the first dose of either AstraZeneca or Vero Cell to the students in coordination with the district vaccine coordination and monitoring committee.

The vaccines will be provided based on the students’ exam admit cards. The decision comes in the wake of the students' protest over the government’s decision to conduct in-person exams amid the raging pandemic.
State Minister for Health and Population, Umesh Shrestha, said students above 20 years of age would get the vaccine on the basis of the admit cards.

The Department has asked the committee to fix the date and venue for the first dose of the vaccine. Students demanding the vaccines welcomed the decision.

Surendra Basnet, vice-president of the All Nepal National Independent Students Union (Revolutionary) thanked the government for addressing their demand. Meanwhile, Institute of Forest Science of the TU on Wednesday postponed examinations of Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees scheduled from next Monday.

The university postponed the examinations because of resurging coronavirus cases, informing that the examinations would be held from the first week of September virtually.

Likewise, the National Examination Board (NEB) had also postponed Grade XII examinations a week ago for an indefinite period citing the same cause.