Ministry Orders Schools To Submit Weekly Staff COVID-19 Vaccination Returns
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MOPSE) has ordered all provincial education directors to submit weekly staff Covid-19 vaccination returns to its head office in Harare.
The directive follows a recent Public Service Commission (PSC) directive ordering government ministries to make arrangements for all civil servants under their jurisdiction to be vaccinated.
The PSC also ordered ministries to explain to those who chose not to be vaccinated that they will not be viewed as workers and as a result, won’t get salaries.
On September 16, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Tumisang Thabela wrote to the education directors instructing them to submit the weekly COVID-19 return. Reads part of Thabela‘s letter which was copied to all the directors:
All provincial Education Directors are advised to implement the cited Commission decision in their respective provinces. Additionally, each province is requested to compile and submit a weekly COVID-19 staff vaccination return every Friday following the attached format. The details of the COVID-19 staff vaccination return should be extracted from each staff member’s COVID -19 card.
Cabinet last week gave all civil servants a COVID-19 vaccination ultimatum saying they should have been fully vaccinated by the 15th of October and if they refuse, they will face disciplinary proceedings for failing to obey a lawful instruction.
In terms of Statutory Instrument 234 of 2021, unvaccinated civil servants will be barred from workstations and will also not receive their salaries while they are barred, after 15 October.
Zimbabwe has in the recent past moved to make vaccination mandatory prompting the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) to sue the government and companies that have been “forcing” workers to get the jab.
More: NewZimbabwe
