KUCHING: Early childhood educators must get themselves vaccinated and strictly follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure a safe learning environment for children, the Association of Kindergarten Operators (AKO) Sarawak said.
The association said that since April it has been working closely with the Welfare and Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Ministry (KWKPK) to ensure its members of kindergarten operators signed up their early childhood educators to be vaccinated.
“With the assistance of KWKPK Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, the industry managed to have almost all early childhood educators in Sarawak vaccinated, at least the first dose by July 2021,” it said in a statement today.
Fatimah had also made vaccination accessible to parents to ensure a safer school community, the association said.
Added AKO: “Studies show that vaccination alone cannot provide full protection against Covid-19, but vaccinations and following strict SOPs make it possible to keep our children safe in school under the hands of our early childhood educators.
“We have always highlighted that all kindergarten operators in Sarawak must practise the highest standard of hygiene and safety measures in schools to ensure a safe learning environment.”
This included updating students every week before the start of the new school week and screening of health declaration forms to ensure that children are safe for the next school week, it said.
“Since vaccination is not yet available for children, parents carry the responsibility to keep their children safe from the virus. They are constantly alerted to cooperate by adhering to the safety protocols to keep the schools community safe too,” AKO said.
The association revealed that Sarawak was the only state where private kindergartens were allowed to operate physically, stressed that vaccination and strict SOP adherence were the best measures to keep unvaccinated children safe in school.
