Nearly 10 000 teachers in Gauteng refuse to vaccinate
Thus far, 53 154 educators and support staff, out of 124 934 personnel members, have been vaccinated at 56 sector-dedicated sites across the province.
The Gauteng department of education said it was alarmed by the nearly 10 000 teachers in the province who refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Last week, the Department of Basic Education announced the start of the education sector vaccination rollout programme aimed at vaccinating those who work in this sector.
According to the department, 9 113 educators and support staff, some with comorbidities, were however refusing to take the jabs.
“We are very worried that nearly 10 000 of our personnel in the Gauteng education sector are, for one reason or the other, refusing to be vaccinated against this deadly virus which has wreaked havoc in our schools and communities by taking away our loved ones,” education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said.
“While vaccination was voluntary, the World Health Organization (WHO) encourages people who are at an increased risk of severe illness from Covid-19 such as healthcare providers, educators, elderly people as well as people with other medical conditions, to take the life-saving jab to reduce the risk of developing the illness and its consequences.
“Getting vaccinated could also help protect people around you because if you are protected from getting infected from the disease, you are less likely to infect someone else,” he said.
Of the 9 113 staff members, 828 are from the Tshwane region.
Thus far, 53 154 educators and support staff, out of 124 934 personnel members, have been vaccinated at 56 sector-dedicated sites across the province.
The department said it expected the number of vaccinated personnel to increase in the coming week as the delays in the data capturing of educators and support staff from school governing bodies (SGBs) and independent schools has been resolved.
“It is common cause that learners are on recess and, as such, in the coming week, sites will be conducting mop-ups to ensure that all outstanding personnel are vaccinated accordingly,” the department’s spokesperson Steve Mabona said.
“It needs to be noted that the reluctance to vaccinate is a threat to the government’s efforts to normalise schooling during this disruptive pandemic, and effectively threatens the academic year in its entirety.”
Mabona said educators were prioritised in this phase of the vaccine rollout and were expected to take advantage of this opportunity to avoid further disruptions to teaching and learning.
“This would ensure that contact learning continues and that no learner will be deprived of learning in a classroom with all the necessary curriculum resources needed,” he said. “The refusal to vaccinate also impacts on the rollout reaching other affected sectors timeously in order for the country to develop herd immunity.”
He urged those who refused to get vaccinated to come forward and take the jab.
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