KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 — Only 0.5 per cent of teachers under the Ministry of Education (MOE) have not been vaccinated against Covid-19, Mohd Radzi Md Jidin said.
The education minister, in a written reply in Parliament yesterday, said the MOE will not face any shortage of educators as the number of teachers who refuse to get vaccinated is small at half a percentage of the total number of teachers in Malaysia.
He said this in response to Tangga Batu MP Rusnah Aluai’s question on potential shortages of the teacher workforce due to groups who refuse to get Covid-19 vaccines.
Malay daily Berita Harian previously quoted Mohd Radzi as saying that the figure stood at 2,753 as of October 21.
Mohd Radzi said unvaccinated teachers have until November 1 to get themselves inoculated unless they have reasons that can be verified by a registered medical practitioner. “If the teacher fails to comply with these directives, they may be subject to disciplinary action.”
He said to ensure that the school environment is safe, unvaccinated teachers are not allowed to interact in-person with students inside and outside the classroom.
However, the teacher will be required to perform their teaching duties as directed by the school administrator from time to time. They are also required to wear double face masks and face shields while on school grounds.
“MOE is confident that this continuous approach and efforts can create a safe school environment during face-to-face learning sessions,” Mohd Radzi said.
