The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has appealed to the Ministry of Health and Child Care to have a dedicated programme to vaccinate teachers and eligible students.
This comes after concern has been raised on whether all teachers had been vaccinated, with examination classes resuming lessons this Monday and the rest resuming classes on 6 September.
Education Deputy Minister Edgar Moyo on Sunday said his Ministry cannot coerce teachers to be vaccinated as vaccination was at the moment being done voluntarily. He said.
Government policy at the moment is that vaccination is voluntary and all we can do is encourage them to get vaccinated but we can’t force them.
We appeal to the Ministry of Health to have a dedicated programme to vaccinate teachers and eligible students.
Eventually, all teachers will get vaccinated because there will come a time when parents won’t want their children to be taught by teachers that are not vaccinated.
Meanwhile, last week the government said intercity travel would be allowed for the period when pupils would be going back to school.
Coach and Bus Operators Association (CBOA) chief executive officer Aleck Kautsiro yesterday said about 90 per cent of bus crews have been vaccinated to limit the spread of the virus while transporting learners.