Staff Reporter
Free State Education MEC Tate Makgoe says the programme to vaccinate teachers and non-teaching staff against COVID-19 which kicked off in the province today as well as other parts of the country should help make schools safer and allow for a return to normal schooling in the near future.
He said the pandemic has caused major disruptions as learners have to go to school on specific days to allow for social distancing while in some cases schools are forced to close in the event of a major outbreak of the disease.
Makgoe said this when he spoke to journalists at the official launch of the teachers’ vaccination programme at Gonyane Primary School in Bloemfontein on Wednesday.
“Everybody here wants to be vaccinated,” he said.
“I think it is good because everybody is worried about children . . . So, when schools reopen in July, most of the children will be able to go back to school.
“I believe that when we have vaccinated everybody, the teachers will be much more confident to come back to school and teach.”
The Free State has set up 30 centres for the vaccination of teachers and non-teaching staff at schools as well as some key staff within the provincial education department.
At least 32 798 staff are set to be vaccinated over the next 10 days as part of efforts to bring normalcy to schools.
“We can’t have learners who have learning losses. I think these learning losses are multiplying,” said Makgoe.
“Children are now going to school once a week or once in two weeks.
“That is a problem particularly for primary school learners because what you teach them today, when they come back next week, they have forgotten everything.”
The MEC said given the important role played by teachers, the government had to prioritise their health and ensure they are vaccinated.
“And I think even society . . . and parents are going to appreciate our teachers . . . that our teachers are the most important civil servants, second to health in the country,” said Makgoe, who indicated he did not feel any adverse side effects of the vaccine soon after he received it.
About 74 teachers in the province have succumbed to COVID-19-related complications.
At least five learners have also died due to the disease.
Health reports have however indicated they also had underlying health problems which are believed to have been worsened by the coronavirus infection.