KUALA LUMPUR: The plan to administer at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine to educators and support staff before the face-to-face school session begins in stages on Sept 1 will help to curb the emergence of school clusters, said the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP).

Its president Aminuddin Awang expressed his gratitude for the assurance given by National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin on the vaccination and hoped it will be realised.

"This is what NUTP has been asking for since the country launched PICK. I hope that teachers across the country will make the most of this golden opportunity when they get their vaccination appointments," he said.

Khairy had provided the assurance that all educators would be given a vaccination shot before schools reopen when he answered questions by MPs in the Dewan Rakyat today.

According to Khairy, the COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) and the Education Ministry (MoE) were currently identifying the number of teachers and related support staff for their first vaccination appointments.

Aminuddin said the administering of at least one dose will boost the confidence of over 430,000 teachers across the country to teach and also convince parents to send their children to school.

Meanwhile, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Convent Bukit Nenas Parents-Teachers Association chairman Alice Suriati Mazlan hoped that the teachers' vaccinations would be conducted immediately as teachers are frontliners who handle students.

"Teachers should be protected and prioritised for vaccinations," she said.

Secondary school teacher Linda Hamzah, 49, meanwhile said that even though the Sept 1 schooling session will begin with examination classes, all teachers would also go to schools for their duty in stages.

"So teachers really need the protection (vaccinations). If we are not vaccinated, teachers will worry when they are with their students," she said.

"I hope the vaccinations for educators will run smoothly this month and that the schooling session will go well," she added.

Another teacher, Lizah Isa, 48, felt that vaccinations for teachers were important as schools involved the public and violations of the standard operating procedure (SOP) could happen.

A mother, Azah Muda, 49, who has two children in Form One, concurred, saying that there might be a possibility that students would violate the SOP in school.

Parents would be more confident if students were also vaccinated in addition to teachers, she added.

-- BERNAMA