Vaccination Program For Teachers Has Started, Jokowi Hopes Schools Can Be Opened For The Next Term

JAKARTA - COVID-19 vaccination for education personnel starts today. Vaccinations for teachers, lecturers, and other educators began at SMA Negeri 70 Jakarta.

After reviewing the implementation of vaccinations, President Joko Widodo is targeting as many as 5 million teachers to have been vaccinated with two doses of injection until next June.

Thus, more and more schools will be able to re-implement face-to-face learning at the start of the 2021-2022 terms in July.

"We prioritize the vaccines for teachers and educators so that a face-to-face learning process can be started for the next semester. If we do so, schools can be re-opened normally in June", said Jokowi at SMA Negeri 70 Jakarta, Wednesday, February 24th.

In his review, Jokowi was accompanied by Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim, DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, and Head of the DKI Nahdiana Education Service.

"Today the vaccinations for educators and education personnel have started. I have seen everything running smoothly. The teachers, the teaching staff have all started, here the process has started", said Jokowi.

After being held for the first time in Jakarta, Jokowi hopes that the implementation of vaccination for education personnel will also be continued in other provinces.

In the national COVID-19 vaccination program, the government is targeting 181.5 million vaccine targets. They are people aged 18 years and over. Vaccine recipients receive twice the injection dose.

In the first phase, the vaccine is intended for 1.5 million health workers. Then, in the second stage, COVID-19 vaccination is intended for the elderly and public service workers. The target is 21.5 million elderly and 16.9 million public workers.

They are market merchants, educators, religious leaders and counselors, representatives of the people, officials, government, civil servants, the National Army and Police Force (TNI-Polri), tourism officers, public services, public transportation workers, athletes, and media workers.

Furthermore, the vaccination will be carried out for 63.9 million vulnerable people or people living in areas with a high risk of infection. Then, other communities as many as 77.7 million people. This program will be carried out from April 2021 to March 2022.