Govt mulls further action against teachers who refuse vaccine

 

The Education Ministry is in discussion with the Public Service Department on further actions to be taken against teachers who refused the Covid-19 vaccines.

Its minister Radzi Jidin said unvaccinated teachers, including those who were ineligible due to health reasons, will not be allowed to return to their classrooms once schools reopen beginning Oct 3.

"We are discussing with the Public Service Department on further actions regarding teachers who refused vaccination.

"For the time being, we will ensure they will not be teaching in class," he said during a press conference in Putrajaya today.

Last month, he revealed the ministry had identified 2,500 teachers who cited various reasons to reject the Covid-19 vaccine.

Radzi said, currently, up to 88.56 percent of over 400,000 teachers have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 ahead of the new school semester.

He added that 97.46 percent have received at least a single vaccine dose.

Aside from teachers, Radzi also revealed similarly high vaccination rates among school administrators and support staff, including canteen operators.

"We have issued instructions to canteen operators, school cleaners, and security providers to make sure all of their workers on duty are vaccinated," he said.

As additional measures, he said the Education Ministry obtained a list of registered school bus operators from the Transport Ministry to coordinate the vaccination status of their drivers with the Covid-19 Immunisation Taskforce.

In the event of a recorded positive case, Radzi said the school administrator will immediately inform the district health office for a risk assessment and guidance on steps to be taken.

Previously, schools that reopened were forced to close after students and teachers tested positive for Covid-19.

Some parents had also opted to keep their children at home over safety concerns, despite ongoing classes. - Mkini