THE Education Ministry has determined that teachers who refuse to be vaccinated will not be allowed to interact with students face-to-face when schools reopen on October 3.

Education Minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin said the measure was to ensure that the school ecosystem would be safe for students.

“We are taking this step to ensure that parents are confident that the school environment is safe for their children,” he told reporters in Kangar today.

Radzi had earlier held an engagement session with parents, teachers and school administrators in Perlis to get input regarding the reopening of schools on October 3.

He said there still were 2,500 teachers who had not been vaccinated and that 96.7% had received at least one shot while 85.26% had completed both shots.

He said the ministry would issue assignment guidelines for unvaccinated teachers.

“We are also discussing with the Public Service Department regarding action against teachers who do not want to be vaccinated,” he added.

Radzi said that besides teachers, school support staff, including canteen workers, cleaning staff and security guards at schools must also be vaccinated.

“Currently, 73.71% of school support staff have been fully vaccinated and 89.43% have received at least one dose of the vaccine jab,” he added. – Bernama, September 3, 2021.