Groups seek vaccination priority for teachers

MANILA, Philippines — Over 30 organizations engaged in the education and development sectors are urging the government to prioritize teachers for COVID-19 vaccination.

In a position paper, the groups called on the government to move teachers currently in B1 priority under the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group Resolution 1, to A4 priority.

The groups said the A4 priority should also be revised to cover “frontline personnel (non-health) in essential sectors: first responders (firefighters, police, and the like) and those who work in the education sector (teachers, support staff, day care workers).”

“We estimate that around 1.3 million teachers and teaching support staff should be vaccinated,” the groups said, noting the number covers both the public and private sector in the basic, tertiary and technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

Of the total estimate, 1.18 million are basic education teachers, 137,000 are tertiary faculty and 11,000 are TVET trainers.

The groups said teachers need to be prioritized for vaccination as they play a critical role for society to continue to function.

“While teachers are at an average risk level of COVID infection, vaccinating them increases confidence to open schools,” the groups said.

Schools remain closed, affecting more than 38 million of the country’s youth who are five to 22 years old.

The groups said learning has regressed, with around 2.7 million elementary students not enrolled in the current school year.

To date, there is no clear plan on when schools would be allowed to reopen for face-to-face classes.

Citing a World Bank estimate, the groups said the country’s learning-adjusted years of school would have been pushed back from 7.5 years pre-pandemic to 5.9 to 6.5 years, depending on the duration of further school closures and the effectiveness of distance learning.

This means students only exhibit proficiency of around six years in school, despite a 12-year basic education system.

The groups said the inclusion of teachers and education personnel for priority COVID-19 vaccination is being observed overseas.

In particular, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention included teachers as essential workers, making them next in line for vaccination after health care personnel and long-term care facility residents.

Saudi Arabia and Russia have also put teachers high on the list for vaccination.

In Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Singapore have started the vaccination of teachers, while Cambodia has put teachers next in the priority list after health workers.

The groups added that international organizations including the United Nations Children’s Fund and UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization have recommended countries to prioritize teachers in the COVID-19 vaccination.

The groups who submitted the position paper include the Action for Economic Reforms; Advocates of Inclusion; Angat Bayi; Aral Pilipinas; ASA Philippines Foundation; Assessment, Curriculum and Technology Research Center; Ateneo Center for Educational Development; Coalition for Better Education; De La Salle Philippines; and Dualtech Training Center Foundation Inc.