‘No jab, no education,’ Cabinet decides, as schools reopen for face-to-face instruction for vaccinated students only
Schools across the country will be re-opened for face-to-face learning next Tuesday, November 2, the Cabinet has decided. However, only vaccinated students will be allowed to attend.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Education will be proceeding with its Tier 2 Educational Plan, which combines in-person instruction and remote learning.
At its meeting on Wednesday, October 27, Cabinet decided that all students who are eligible to be vaccinated – that is, between the ages of 12 and 17 years – but who have not yet done so – must be jabbed within 14 days.
Therefore, they have from today, October 28, until Wednesday, November 10, to be vaccinated.
At the end of this period, unvaccinated students will not be allowed on their school’s compound to engage in face-to-face instruction. Further, the Ministry of Education will not compel schools to instruct these students remotely; that is, through online learning.
Parents who insist that their children cannot take the jab now have until Friday, November 5, to seek a medical exemption. The application must be submitted, in a sealed envelope, to the child’s school, and the principal will then forward the form to the Director of Education by the appropriate means.
The Cabinet claims the safety of staff and students remains its top priority, and that its decision followed discussions with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Rhonda Sealy-Thomas and Director of Education Clare Browne.
One woman says the mandatory vaccination of children amounts to “No jab, no education,” while another mother describes says, “It’s like putting a gun to a child’s head.”
The Lower House of Parliament amended the Education Act last week to enable enforcement of the vaccination mandate for children. The Senate will meet on the matter tomorrow, Friday, October 29.
