While it fully supports the vaccination program of the government, the Department of Education (DepEd) also pushed for the safety and protection of its personnel who will participate in the implementation of the Philippine National Deployment and Vaccination Plan (NDVP) for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines.
“The safety of our DepEd personnel is our utmost priority, and our policy is that they focus on supporting demand generation and communication activities,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones said in a statement on June 25.
Briones also emphasized that DepEd personnel must be assured of their protection and safety in the exercise of supporting the vaccination program.
DepEd reiterated that “any other involvement of the personnel in the local vaccination initiatives beyond the scope of their work in the Department, including their participation in vaccination teams, counseling, and psychosocial support efforts, shall be voluntary.”
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.
The memo also clarified that DepEd volunteers “must be granted proper training, personal protective equipment (PPE),sanitation resources, and applicable remuneration or allowances” by the National Task Force (NTF) , through the local government units (LGUs).
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2021/06/25/deped-extends-support-to-covid-19-vaccination-program-of-the-government/
Related to this, Dr. Maria Corazon Dumlao, Chief of Bureau of Learner Support Services-School Health Division (BLSS-SHD) explained that DepEd school health and nutrition personnel “may take part” in local vaccination initiatives and represent the DepEd in the Vaccination Operations Centers (VOCs).
Dumlao noted that teaching personnel, on the other hand, can incorporate vaccination promotion in their lessons and volunteer as health educators or documenters.
Meanwhile, DepEd maintained that voluntary participation of its personnel “must not prejudice work” in the department.
They also have to make sure that their participation must be approved by their respective heads of offices through a written endorsement to the LGU.
RELATED STORY:
https://mb.com.ph/2021/06/26/use-of-schools-as-covid-19-vaccination-centers-should-be-approved-by-deped/