The Philippine Educators Alliance for Community Empowerment (PEACE) Party-list is calling on teachers to help in convincing parents to have their children inoculated against COVID-19.
“Nananawagan tayo sa ating mga guro na tumulong sa pagkumbinsi sa mga magulang ng estudyante natin na pabakunahan ang anak nila. Teachers hold a position of authority and trust which could prove valuable in easing the doubts of parents regarding vaccine safety and other issues,” PEACE party list first nominee and president, Marie Paz T. Abante, said.
The long-time educator also said that mass vaccination of students “is the only way forward.”
The government will start vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 on February 4.
According to the Department of Education, some 14 million basic education students belong to the said age group.
“If we have any hope of attaining normalcy and safely sending our children back to school, it is of paramount importance that they be vaccinated against Covid-19. Mahalagang magtulungan tayo para sa lalong madaling panahon ay mabakunahan na ang mga bata,” Abante said.
With the set expansion of in-person classes this month requiring that teachers and students who participate be vaccinated, the need for vaccination is emphasized, Abante added.
The long-time educator also said that mass vaccination of students “is the only way forward.”
Abante, however, said that for parents to fully trust teachers, the latter themselves have to be vaccinated.
“Given the risks that teachers face as frontliners, and with many of them getting ill during the surge in cases in January, their vaccination should be made top priority.”
She underlined the need for the DepEd to fast-track the vaccination of teachers, as only 67.02 percent out of 970,694 eligible teaching and non-teaching personnel have so far been fully vaccinated.
“It would seem hypocritical if teachers who are as yet unvaccinated would try to talk parents into having their children avail of the vaccine,” said Abante.
Given the risks that teachers face as frontliners, and with many of them getting ill during the surge in cases in January, their vaccination should be made top priority, said Abante.
A report that more than 50 percent of teachers in Metro Manila had flu-like symptoms had prompted the DepEd to authorize its regional offices and schools division offices to order the suspension of classes in their respective jurisdictions “based on their reliable assessment of the health status of their teachers and learners and the IATF risk classification.”
