While vaccination against Covid-19 remains voluntary, the Department of Education (DepEd) strongly encouraged students to get vaccinated as face-to-face classes in schools nationwide gradually resume.
During the Laging Handa public briefing on Monday, May 30, Education Secretary Leonor Briones reiterated that vaccination is not mandatory for students who are attending face-to-face classes or those who wish to go back to in-person learning.
However, the department is strongly pushing for the vaccination of learners against Covid-19 for their safety amid the ongoing pandemic. “ vaccination with consent and not necessarily with threats or mandatory,” Briones said.
“Yung pilitan, di natin yan magagawa dahil constitutional right nila iyon (We cannot force them to do that because that is part of their constitutional right),” she explained. “Ang kampanya natin (What we’re campaigning for) is to encourage them ,” she added.
Briones said that in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH), DepEd has been very aggressive in its campaign to urge the parents to allow their children to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
“We are not allowing vaccination among children without their parent’s consent,” Briones said. “Our campaign is also focused on the parents themselves pero walang sapilitan ,” she added.
As part of its vaccination campaign, Briones said that DepEd is promoting the positive side of getting vaccinated as well as its benefits.
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