DepEd mandates COVID-19 vaccination of teachers in face-to-face classes
DepEd Planning Service Director Roger Masapol said on Monday, Sep. 27, that teachers must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to participate in the pilot testing of face-to-face classes.
During the joint memorandum signing of the Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Health (DOH), DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones said the pilot run will be safe.
“We are in the middle of the most aggressive campaign for the vaccination of our teachers and the rest of our citizens. It is now fairly safe for us to start the pilot study,” Briones said.
DepEd will soon orient teachers in the pilot run and coordinate with them by prioritizing their vaccination.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III added that classroom learning will be limited to vaccinated teaching personnel only. However, unvaccinated teachers may teach using distance or online modules.
DepEd also released further guidelines for 120 schools that are set to take part in the pilot testing, which will run for two months.
DepEd and @DOHgovph worked hand-in-hand in crafting the operational guidelines on the pilot implementation of face-to-face learning to ensure the safety of participating learners, teaching and non-teaching staff, and their families.
READ: https://t.co/5MC2hw7u5I pic.twitter.com/kQek9GedVX— DepEd (@DepEd_PH) September 27, 2021
Magkatuwang na binuo ng DepEd at DOH ang operational guidelines para masiguro ang kaligtasan ng mga mag-aaral, guro, at iba pang school personnel at kanilang mga pamilya sa pilot implementation ng limited face-to-face classes. pic.twitter.com/13fHWCXGoS
— DepEd (@DepEd_PH) September 27, 2021
The government has yet to set the official starting date of limited face-to-face classes. DepEd has not released an official list of chosen schools either.
As of September 2021, the Philippines is one of the last two countries in the world that haven’t reopened schools since the pandemic in 2020.
The vaccination manadate is a reversal of DepEd's announcement on Sep. 20 that teachers in pilot face-to-face classes will not be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Banner file photo by Ted Aljibe/AFP