Teacher conducting survey on Covid vaccinations attacked

A teacher accompanying a polio team was assaulted in Qasimabad area on Thursday. The documents the teacher was carrying regarding a survey of the population, which has received or not received Covid-19 vaccination were snatched from him.

The incident provoked a reaction from the Government Secondary Teachers Association (GSTA), which has already voiced concern on the employment of government teachers for the five-day-long survey that is only being carried out in Hyderabad district in the entire province.

The police were quick to respond to the incident, which took place in union council number one in Qasimabad, and they detained the persons involved in the attack. However, the female family members of those suspects apologised to the Qasimabad Government High School teacher, Salahuddin, who forgave the attackers.

According to the teacher, the neighbourhood was resisting providing information about the vaccinated people in the area.

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Two similar incidents occurred on the first day of the campaign on August 2 in Latifabad unit 4 and Makrani mohalla areas. The teachers were manhandled and the survey documents were snatched.

In reaction, the GSTA convened a meeting on Thursday and expressed grave concern over such incidents. GSTA Hyderabad President Mehmood Chohan complained that government teachers engaged in the survey of the vaccinated population have not been given any task-related identity cards.

“No attention has been paid to the health of the teachers who are being sent door to door. They have not been given face masks or sanitisers either.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7^th, 2021.