Believing that the smooth and continued rollout of the vaccination program will help mitigate the effects of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Department of Education (DepEd) reinforced the government’s program and called for cooperation among stakeholders.
“The vaccination program will help us mitigate the effects of COVID-19,” said Education Secretary Leonor Briones in a statement issued Friday, June 25. “We need our teachers, our parents, and everyone to join us to overcome this pandemic,” she added.
In support of the government’s vaccination effort, DepEd issued the Comprehensive Guidance on the Participation of DepEd in the Implementation of the Philippine National Deployment and Vaccination Plan (NDVP) for COVID-19 vaccines.
“DepEd, as the government’s largest bureaucracy, is dedicated to help our vaccination teams achieve our targets,” Briones said.
In DepEd Memorandum 028 series of 2021, the department laid out its principles and guidelines to ensure the provision of the necessary support for the national government and its personnel.
As stated in the issuance, DepEd noted that any engagement across all governance levels must be aligned with Republic Act 11525 or the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021, the NDVP, and other related issuances.
“The Department will also continue undertaking consultations and surveys among stakeholders and consider its results in contextualizing the implementation of the NDVP,” DepEd said.
To promote informed decisions on COVID-19 vaccination, DepEd also launched its campaign called “Vacc2School: Ligtas na Bakuna para sa Balik-Eskwela” in May.
DepEd has been conducting town halls and webinars in field offices aligned with the initiative.
Meanwhile, related materials are also integrated into the multimedia platforms of the DepEd.