While getting a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine is not compulsory for teachers, the Department of Education (DepEd) stressed that they have a moral duty - especially their respective communities.
“As per the law and as per DepEd memorandum and our position in DepEd, the vaccination or the inoculation of our teachers will be on a voluntary basis,” DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua said in an online press conference in Negros Oriental on Monday, March 22.
“Though we will emphasize to them that they also have a moral obligation to the society,” Pascua added.
As the government rolls out its COVID-19 vaccination program, Pascua said that DepEd is also preparing for the vaccination within the department - especially of teachers in public schools nationwide.
Based on DepEd data, there are almost 900,000 teachers in public schools across the country.
Since getting the COVID-19 jab will be on a “voluntary basis” for teachers and other personnel of the department, he noted that there are no numbers yet as to how many teachers will be inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccines.
Pascua explained that based on the government’s vaccination program plan, the frontliners - including doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers - are under Priority 1. This will be followed by law enforcers, uniformed sector, and elderly.
“Our teachers are under Priority 4 while the DepEd officials are under Category 7,” he said.
Even before the prioritization plan was finalized, Pascua said that DepEd already raised the concern of including teachers in the top priority. “However, the leaders at the national level and other experts already decided on this so the category will not longer change as deemed by the national government,” he added.
Despite this, Pascua assured that DepEd is already preparing for the vaccination of teachers once it becomes their turn. “Don’t worry, you are all included in the priority because we are included in the allocation and purchase of the vaccines at the national level,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pascua noted that the volume of the vaccination as well as the timetable is in the ambit of the Department of Health (DOH). “We will just be waiting for them on matters related to the vaccination,” he ended.