The Department of Basic Education disputes misleading reports about “no jab, no job”

THE Department of Basic Education (DBE) has disputed misleading reports and misinformation regarding the circular it distributed last week on educators who are not vaccinated.

Department spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga said media reports from a Johannesburg publication reporting “the ‘no jab, no job’ narrative had created confusion and fear among educators.

Mhlanga said the department is also aware that an extract from the seven-page circular has been shared on social media platforms resulting in unnecessary anxiety and panic among teachers who did not go for their vaccination.

He said that at the close of the vaccination programme in the sector, more than 517 000 education personnel, out of 582 000, had received their vaccines.

Read also: KZN Premier calls on citizens to vaccinate

“Others could not get vaccinated because of various reasons including illness, Covid-19 positive cases, flu vaccines and hesitancy. When schools reopened last week for principals and management teams, the department issued a circular to assist in managing cases where some teachers did not vaccinate.

“The purpose of Circular 4 of 2021, dated July 23, and signed by the Director-General, Mathanzima Mweli, was to provide guidance regarding the operational requirements for educators employed in terms of the Employment of Educators Act of 1998 following the implementation of the Basic Education Sector Covid-19 Vaccination Programme. The circular also serves as a guide to managing vulnerable employees in the context of the current pandemic,” Mhlanga explained.

He said the department has strongly recommended that education sector personnel should get vaccinated, but “at no stage did DBE seek to compel employees to be vaccinated”.

“In fact in the circular the department says that it respects the rights of educators who opt not to be vaccinated on constitutional, religious, cultural, comorbidity or medical grounds,” Mhlanga said.

Read also: SA plans to vaccinate at least 400 000 people per day

He noted that educators who have taken the vaccine or opted not to and are concerned about their comorbidity or medical condition/illness, should apply to the relevant Provincial Education Department for leave.

Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news

Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).

 

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