KUALA LUMPUR – Teachers should also be given priority in receiving the Covid-19 inoculation as they will spend the most time with students when schools reopen.
Education expert Prof Ismi Arif Ismail said the earlier announcement was that children aged 18 and below would not be given the Covid-19 vaccine for the time being as frontliners and senior citizens are being prioritised due to the risk factors they face.
“To ensure that children are also protected from infection, teachers need to be given the vaccine as well.
“Besides, teachers and students will be spending considerable amounts of time together during school sessions, so it is only appropriate for teachers to be protected to make sure students are safe,” he told Bernama.
Apart from that, he said, teachers and students must continue to adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set, such as practising physical distancing, wearing face masks and frequent handwashing, as well as avoiding large gatherings.
“Under any circumstance, the SOPs should continue to be complied with and should not be taken lightly, even if the vaccine is now available, to prevent more breakouts,” he said.
Indirectly, Ismi said the situation would remove parents’ wariness over the matter.
“Parents should also be assured that the school has taken safety measures before children are allowed to go to school,” he said.
On Tuesday, United Nations Children’s Fund executive director Henrietta Fore recommended that teachers be given priority in administering the Covid-19 vaccine, after frontliners and high-risk groups.
She was reported as saying in New York that the move would ensure efforts for children around the world to continue their learning.
Sharing the same view, National Parent-Teacher Association (PIBGN) Consultative Council president Assoc Prof Datuk Mohamad Ali Hasan thinks that readiness to implement the teaching and learning process (PdP) virtually or online is still not ideal.
Apart from that, he said, teachers are more comfortable holding conventional PdP sessions – face-to-face with students.
“There are various problems and obstacles with online PdP sessions, including device problems, poor internet connection, and students not having adequate facilities, especially in rural areas.
“There are also students who are not serious in following online learning, and teachers cannot fully gauge the extent of their students’ understanding of the subjects they teach," he said.
Ali Hasan said that educators are a front-line group because they are fighting for the country’s education to regain momentum.
“Their contribution is huge because education is an important sector that shapes the future of the country,” he said.
He suggested that teachers, especially those with health problems or working in rural or highly populated areas, form the priority group as recipients of the vaccine.
Meanwhile, the National Union of Teaching Professions (NUTP) secretary-general Harry Tan Huat Hock said that the vaccination will provide protection to teachers and enable PdP sessions to commence as soon as possible.
“We found that online home learning sessions have many disadvantages such as inadequate devices or gadgets, weak internet connection, disciplinary problems and (unsatisfactory) student attendance, which cause disruptions to online PdP sessions.
“The measure will also ensure that schools can be reopened soon and students do not drop out,” he said in a statement.
In this regard, he said, NUTP is requesting special consideration from the government and Health Ministry for educators to be prioritised in receiving the Covid-19 vaccine in order to improve and strengthen the national education system. – Bernama, December 17, 2020
