KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 — The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) has called for the government to set up vaccination centres in selected schools specifically for students.
In a statement today, NUTP secretary-general Wang Heng Suan said this would reduce the risk of students contracting Covid-19.
“Parents’ confidence in the government has been restored since the government has now allocated vaccination for schooling children starting this September 19.
“But NUTP do hope that the vaccination centres will not be placed together with the public vaccination centres simply because the public centres could put these schooling children at risk of being infected by Covid-19,” said Wang.
As such, the NUTP suggested that several schools be made into vaccination centres following the district or zone where children go to school.
“This will ease management of vaccination by stages and will track which child has yet to be vaccinated,” said Wang.
The NUTP also urged the government to prioritise school teachers in the vaccination programme as they were considered to be frontliners and should be given priority.
“We also suggest that all who are working at schools such as canteen operators, janitors and security guards too should complete the vaccination programme before school reopens on October 3,” Wang added.
On August 15, then coordinating minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (Pick) Khairy Jamaluddin announced that vaccinations for all children in the 12- to 17-year-old age group will start from September 15.
However, priority would be given to those with comorbidities and older schoolchildren before the younger ones are vaccinated, depending on vaccine supply.
