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All teachers ordered to take Covid-19 jabs
A teacher conducts a class session. Teaching usually involves 'direct contact' thus highly exposing parties involved to potential spreaders of the Covid-19 virus. PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- The country is struggling with low uptake of the vaccines with hesitancy among some frontline workers who include teachers.
Government has issued a directive, asking all teachers to go for the Covid-19 vaccination as a requirement to stop the pandemic spread in schools, amid resistance from the teachers.
Of the 260,717 teachers in the country, who are eligible for the Covid-19 jabs, only 8,517 (3 per cent) had been vaccinated by April 13, according to government statistics.
The Ministry of Education has now written to all head teachers and administrators of higher institutions of learning to compel all teachers to go for vaccination as soon as possible to pave way for full reopening of the sector.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Sports, Mr Alex Kakooza, in an April 23 letter to all stakeholders in the education sector, said the vaccine hesitancy among teachers could prolong the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic on learners.
“The inclusion of teachers in the priority category for vaccination was and is still intended to mitigate the risk of infection of teachers in the school setting for safe learning. However, we have received reports from the Ministry of Health that there is low uptake of vaccination among teachers,” the letter reads in part.
“This undermines government efforts to ensure safe and sustainable full reopening of education institutions. The purpose of this circular, therefore, is to inform teachers in all education institutions that you are required to take personal responsibility of getting vaccinate...,” he added.
The country is struggling with low uptake of the vaccines with hesitancy among some frontline workers. Government recommended the reopening of schools in a staggered manner, with enforcement of mask-wearing and other safeguards in place. Teachers, being part of the frontline workers, were included among the category that is supposed to be vaccinated first.
The directive comes a week after doctors protested the proposal by some district leaders that every eligible citizen be given the Covid-19 vaccine.
They warned that such enforced immunisation would render the official or government liable to legal suits. The doctors also said mandatory administration of the jab amounts to rights of violation.
Whereas some countries have made vaccination mandatory, the vaccination exercise in the country is voluntary.
Government has made it clear that the vaccination is voluntary because the serum is new and has only been given emergency approval for use.
Covid-19 vaccination is being done in all sub-counties at health centre IIIs, IVs, district hospitals, regional referral hospitals, and selected private health facilities, according to the Ministry of Health.
“Heads of education institutions are required to mobilise and support all their teaching staff to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as soon as possible. You are advised to contact the management of Covid-19 vaccination services centre nearest to your institutions and make the necessary arrangements to have the teachers vaccinated,” the directive further reads.
A health worker prepares to administer the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine at Mulago Women’s Specialised hospital in March last year. PHOTO/FILE
The PS also asked teachers to adhere to Covid-19 preventive measures such as wearing a facemask, handwashing and social distancing.
Uganda started vaccination in March after receiving 964,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from global sharing initiative –Covax and the Indian government.
Teachers’ union responds
Commenting on the directive, Mr Filbert Baguma, the general secretary of Uganda National Teachers’ Union, blamed the low uptake on the approach used by the government.
He supported the move to encourage teachers to go for the jabs, but warned the Education ministry and other political leaders against coercing teachers to go for the jabs, saying the exercise is voluntary.
“Vaccination is being carried out in the entire world but the approach used by government is the one which was wrong. The government didn’t consult the stakeholders on where to begin from and now they are in a fire-fighting mode after seeing a low turn up,” Mr Baguma said.
He said the consent form scared people, especially the area where manufacturers of the vaccine said they would not take responsibility for adverse reactions or even death due to the jab.
Mr Paul Okoko Nyeko, the head teacher of Mutema Primary School in Amuru District, said he has engaged his teachers to take the Covid jab. He said 13 out of 15 teachers at the school are already vaccinated.
Amuru is one of the districts that the head of immunisation programme at the Ministry of Health, Dr Alfred Driwale, singled out earlier over low vaccine uptake. Of the 3,000 doses of the jabs that had been received, the district had only administered 45 doses by April 13.
Mr Badru Ndugwa, the executive secretary of Wakiso Secondary Schools Head Teachers’ Association and a member of Uganda Muslim Education Association, said: “I have already taken the jab and I am encouraging teachers to go and get vaccinated.”
