THE government must put teachers high on the list of priority groups for the Covid-19 immunisation plan, said Teo Nie Ching.

The former deputy education minister said it was crucial that teachers get vaccinated before schools reopen. 

She added that since schools reopened for examinations, there have been several incidents where teachers were found positive for 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,” she said in a statement. 

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said yesterday that as much as 60% to 70%, or 20 to 23 million, of the Malaysian population must be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. 

Malaysia has spent RM2.05 billion to procure vaccines to immunise 82.8% of the population. 

This includes the finalised deals with Covax, Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca-Oxford. 

The government is also in talks with China-based Sinovac and CanSinoBIO as well as the Gamaleya National Centre of Russia. 

Teo said the Education Ministry should also prioritise reopening of schools, which have remained closed since March last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Kulai MP said school closures have far-reaching ramifications for the students. 

“These impacts will be felt not just through lost of learning hours, food programme for many children from the bottom 40 groups and Orang Asli children.  

“After implementing home-based learning for nearly a year, our preparation and readiness for home-based learning is still below par.” 

She said three critical issues that determine home-based learning – access to gadgets, internet connectivity and adequate content – remained largely unaddressed and severely lacking. 

“Therefore, school reopening should be one of our top priority. 

“Vaccinating teachers is seen as a critical step towards creating an environment that is safe for the children and provides stability in the education ecosystem.” 

She said last December, Unicef was already calling for teachers to be prioritised to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, once front-line 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.”

She said in the United Kingdom, the education minister there had been advocating for teachers to be prioritised for vaccines. 

In Northern Ireland, she added, upon the request of the education minister there, those working in special schools will 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 education minister to show some leadership and urge the government to embark on an effective recovery journey. 

“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.” – February 5, 2021.