Minister instructs teachers to start vaccinating this week

That is the instruction from the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga to schools.

She has made a call to teachers to vaccinate in the next two weeks, from Wednesday, 23 June until 8 July.

This inlcude educators as well as administrative and supporting staff.

The department is hoping that during this period, 582 000 people will be vaccinated nationwide.

Although the minister highly recommended that vaccination is voluntary, she did say it is voluntary.

Those who qualify to be vaccinated include all government-appointed staff members; school governing body (SGB) appointed teachers and teachers employed by independent schools registered in terms of the South African Schools Act. She warned that a strict registration process will be followed and no onsite registrations will be allowed.

Also read: Local health workers get first Covid-19 vaccination jabs

“If you are Persal a (government) staff member, your details have already been captured onto the electronic vaccination data system (EVDS). “The lists for SGB appointees and independent school educators will be uploaded onto the EVDS. “Onsite data capturing will only include an individual’s cellphone number and medical aid details,” the minister explained.

However, not everyone will be able to be vaccinated. Persons who might not get the jab include those who had contracted Covid-19 in the past 30 days.

Also, any person who was vaccinated using another vaccine (Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson, under the Sisonke drive) and any person who had received a flu vaccine in the past 14 days.

“In our deliberations with the Department of Health, it was further agreed that the vaccination programme must cover staff who transport children to and from schools as well as staff who support the school feeding scheme – here we refer to the food handlers.

Also read: Ba-phalaborwa health workers get vaccinated

“Also included are staff who do remote learning programmes (TV and Radio); teacher unions, and other contracted staff who provide security, cleaning and other functions at schools,” she added.

She also confirmed that primary school children will be returning to schools on a full-time basis from the first day of the third term, on 26 July.

“We were guided by various studies, which looked into the teaching and learning losses already suffered in the sector, the scientific evidence regarding the impact of Covid-19 on younger children, as well as the advice from the medical fraternity. Cabinet approved the return of traditional time-tabling at primary school level from 26 July,” she concluded