Some education sector workers in North West are reluctant to vaccinate if official figures are anything to go by.
North West education department spokesperson Elias Malindi confirmed that up until Tuesday, 71% or 30,677 of the 43,200 targeted employees, including teachers, had been inoculated.
“Our department and the provincial health department are analysing the statistics to find out how many of the 30,677 are teachers.”
The basic education sector vaccination programme, which started on June 23 and was scheduled to end on July 8, was extended until July 14.
The percentage of education sector workers who have been vaccinated countrywide according to figures supplied to Sunday Times Daily included:
- Free State: 91.9%;
- Western Cape: 86.7%;
- Eastern Cape: 85.2%;
- Mpumalanga: 79.3%; and
- Northern Cape: 76.4%.
Limpopo’s education department indicated that figure for those vaccinated had not been finalised because the loading of paper-based records was still under way.
Gauteng and KZN did not respond to media queries.
Initially, the department of basic education had targeted 582,564 staff for the vaccination, but this number increased to 826,425 after it agreed to accommodate more categories of employees.
These included food handlers involved in school feeding schemes, governing body appointed support staff, support staff in private schools, staff from the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC), SA Council for Educators (Sace), National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) and teacher unions.
In a statement on Wednesday, the department confirmed that more than 500,000 teachers and staff had been vaccinated.
Free State education department spokesperson Howard Ndaba said strong partnerships with education stakeholders, including teacher unions, principals’ councils and governing bodies, assisted in getting almost 92% of staff vaccinated.
He said that during the launch of the programme, Free State premier Sisi Ntombela, as well as education MEC Tate Makgoe and head of department Tsoarelo Malakoane, inspired staff to get vaccinated after they publicly took the vaccine.
We are happy at reaching almost 92% but we want to still encourage those that didn’t vaccinate to do so.
— Howard Ndaba, Free State education department spokesman
“There was also a strong communication drive led by myself. We are happy at reaching almost 92%, but we want to still encourage those that didn’t vaccinate to do so.”
Kerry Mauchline, spokesperson for Western Cape education MEC Debbie Schäfer, said that up until Wednesday a total of 47,185 teachers and staff in the education sector had been vaccinated.
She said they had been overwhelmed with positive responses from across the province about the professionalism, friendliness and efficiency of health workers at the vaccination sites.
“The department has yet to collate how many staff did not take up the offer to vaccinate. We worked on a consensus basis where we asked schools to submit names of staff who consented to taking the vaccine and scheduled them accordingly.”
Eastern Cape education department spokesperson Mali Mtima said 63,822 had vaccinated up until Wednesday.
He said there were “no plans as yet” to vaccinate those who hadn’t done so but that they could take advantage of the country’s vaccination programme.
Mpumalanga education department spokesperson Gerald Sambo confirmed that 42,066 of its 53,000 staff complement had been vaccinated.
“The department appreciates the leadership that was provided by the education sector unions, associations of school governing bodies and others who played a pivotal role in this achievement.”
The province’s education MEC, Bonakele Majuba, said he was very grateful for the progress made in the department’s vaccination programme.
“We therefore need the cooperation of everyone in our progressive endeavour to save lives and to salvage the academic year.”
Northern Cape education department spokesperson Geoff van der Merwe said they were not sure why 3,388 teachers and support staff had not taken the vaccine.
“It’s difficult to say as schools are on recess. It could also be that educators or support were out of the province, but we will only be able to establish this when schools reopen.”
During a meeting convened by the department of basic education on July 9 to discuss the progress of the vaccination rollout programme, it was mentioned that the low uptake of the vaccine in Northern Cape could be “due to the sparsity and vastness of the province”.
Van der Merwe said they were in talks with the provincial health department for a possible “mop up” programme to provide an opportunity for those who did not vaccinate to do so.
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