DepEd wants 'institutional approach' to teachers' vaccination vs. COVID-19

The Department of Education (DepEd) wants an institutional approach to the prioritization of teachers in the COVID-19 vaccination program, one of its officials said on Friday.

Interviewed on GMA News' Unang Balita, DepEd Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said the department is already coordinating with the National Vaccine Operations Center (NVOC) regarding this matter.

“The DepEd is coordinating with the NVOC para maging institutional ang approach natin [to make the vaccination approach institutional],” he said.

Malaluan noted that the DepEd is still recognizing the geographic prioritization of the vaccination program based on the number of COVID-19 cases.

As of the end of July, Malaluan said around 200,000 or over 20% of teachers have already been vaccinated. Most of them were recorded in the National Capital Region.

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF said teachers and school staff should be among the groups prioritized for vaccinations so that schools in Europe and Central Asia can stay open.

Measures to make school stay open "include offering teachers and other school staff the COVID-19 vaccine as part of target population groups in national vaccination plans," the UN agencies said.

UNICEF also urged governments to resume in-person classes, noting that five countries, including the Philippines, have yet to reopen their schools since the COVID-19 pandemic.

It pointed out that Filipino kids are missing education opportunities amid continued school closure. —KBK, GMA News