Janet to teachers: No Covid-19 jabs, no jobs

Teachers who are not fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be barred from accessing schools and classes, the Minister of Education and Sports, Ms Janet Museveni, said yesterday.

Ms Museveni said in a recorded video that schools will be required to fully comply with the new policy when the government reopens schools.

“Unvaccinated teachers will not be allowed to go to school or class. It may have to get to that, being strict to ensure everyone is vaccinated,” Ms Museveni said, adding: “If you do not get vaccinated and get your card to inform everybody that you have been vaccinated, you will not access the job you need.”

The government has twice instructed educational institutions to close following two waves  of Covid-19 in mid March 2020 and early June this year. 
In between, there was a phased re-opening of schools that registered a surge in cases as the second wave beckoned.

Learners still at home
The second closure was recently partially lifted for medical schools, leaving more than 15 million learners stuck at home.
The government  had initially pegged the reopening to vaccination of all teachers before revealing that children aged 12 and above will also have to be jabbed.

Its latest stance comes after Ministry of Health indicated Covid-19 does not severely affect young children. Priority in administering jabs has now been turned to teachers and university students above 18 years.

Ms Museveni yesterday said the sooner teachers and students are vaccinated, the sooner schools will reopen. 
She also said the Ministry of Health has agreed to take jabs to schools and universities when the next consignment of vaccines is received.

“I have been told that vaccines are getting finished, but there is another consignment the Ministry of Health is expecting. When it comes, it will be taken to schools,” Ms Museveni said.

According to statistics from the Health ministry, 209,336 teachers have been jabbed once. A further 74,310 are fully vaccinated. 
The Ministry of Education says it has 550,000 teachers on its payroll. 

The executive secretary of Uganda National Teachers’ Union (Unatu), Mr Filbert Baguma, last month said teachers are willing to get vaccinated, but have been thwarted by the scant supply of vaccines.

The Health ministry spokesperson, Mr Emmanuel Ainebyoona, yesterday said National Medical Stores has 596,000 doses at its disposal. 
He added that the ministry will communicate this week when the jabs will be taken to schools.