MP wants teachers to be part of vaccine priority group
Former deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching has called on the Ministry of Education to make sure that teachers are among the priority groups for the Covid-19 immunisation plan.
Currently, there are three phases due for the vaccination. The first phase, which will involve 500,000 medical and non-medical frontline personnel, should start in March and wrap up by May...
Former deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching has called on the Ministry of Education to make sure that teachers are among the priority groups for the Covid-19 immunisation plan.
Currently, there are three phases due for the vaccination. The first phase, which will involve 500,000 medical and non-medical frontline personnel, should start in March and wrap up by May.
"Schools were closed since March last year. While school closure is inevitable, it also has far-reaching ramifications.
"These impacts will be felt not just through lost learning hours, but also by the lack of institutional protection that schools offer, such as the food programme for many children from the B40 segment of society (Rancangan Makanan Tambahan) and various other support for the Orang Asli children in education, as well the aid it offers to families as a routine that provides children and parents a form of stability," Teo said in a statement today.
She said that despite implementing home-based learning for nearly a year, the preparation and readiness for home-based learning are still below par.
"Three critical issues that would determine the quality of home-based learning - namely access to gadgets or suitable devices, internet connectivity and bandwidth, and adequate content for Education TV - remain largely unaddressed and severely lacking.
"Therefore, school reopening should be one of our top priorities," Teo added.
Several incidents of teachers positive with Covid-19
She pointed out that since schools reopened in January, there have been several incidents where teachers were found positive with Covid-19.
"This raises many safety questions. Parents need to be assured that appropriate measures are taken to protect children before children are allowed to go back to school.
"Vaccinating teachers should become a priority and is seen as a critical step towards creating an environment that is safe for children and provides stability in the education ecosystem.
"Teachers must be prioritised so they remain safe. Teachers are the country’s precious resource as well and let us not forget their value in times like this" added Teo who is Kulai MP.
She took Education Minister Radzi Md Jidin to task, saying that Britain's Education Minister Gavin Williamson has advocated for teachers to be prioritised for vaccines while in Northern Ireland, upon the request of Education Minister Peter Weir, those working in special schools would be prioritised for vaccination against Covid-19.
"But in Malaysia, the education minister is still finding his voice to speak up for teachers. I urge the minister to show some leadership and urge the government to embark on an effective recovery journey.
"Last December, Unicef was already calling for teachers to be prioritised to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, once frontline health personnel and high-risk populations are vaccinated.
"This will no doubt help protect teachers from the virus, allow them to teach in person, and ultimately keep schools open, which in turn will allow parents and the larger segment of society to gradually return to a semblance of normalcy," Teo said.
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