Vaccinate teachers if schools re-open, opposition urges government

 

Opposition lawmakers have urged the government to vaccinate teachers and school staff if physical classes are to resume in two weeks time.

"Teachers and school staff must be given priority (in Phase 1) under the vaccine programme because when schools re-open, teachers will be frontliners fighting to educate the nation's youths," they said in a joint statement.

The statement was signed by former education minister Maszlee Malik, former deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching, Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Tampin MP Hasan Baharom.

Putrajaya yesterday announced that schools will be re-opened in stages beginning March 1, with secondary schools resuming in early April.

Under the vaccination programme, the first recipients of the vaccines will be frontliners such as medical personnel and security forces.

The government said it is also considering requests from others to be included under Phase 1 of the vaccination programme such as teachers and media personnel.

All MPs and assemblypersons also qualify to be vaccinated under Phase 1 though this decision has been panned as selfish.

Maszlee, Teo, Nik Nazmi, and Hasan said schools must be given autonomy to decide on whether to re-open or remain closed based on their local Covid-19 situation. This instead of adhering to a blanket decision by the government.

The re-opening of schools must also take into consideration the Covid-19 status in the various states and which phase of movement control order they are in.

The quartet also said schools must allow teachers to focus on teaching students instead of being bogged down by administrative tasks.

In a separate statement, Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan slammed the Education Ministry for flip-flopping on whether schools should be re-opened or remain closed.

"Flip-flop decisions are very burdensome on students, parents and teachers," he said.

He said parents - especially those from lower-income groups - had already spent a lot to purchase digital devices for their children to do online learning from home.

The government also launched DidikTV for home learning through television broadcasts.

As such, the decision to re-open schools has sent confusing signals as to what the Education Ministry's direction is.

"The ministry should strengthen online learning until the country fully recovers from Covid-19.

"Educating our children is an important task that shouldn't stop or made chaotic because of such flip-flop decisions," he said. - Mkini