News

Student Vaccination Seen As ‘Best Way’ To Return To School

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 — The vaccination of all students who will sit for major examinations next year is deemed the best ‘way out’, to enable them to return to school immediately even though the country is still battling a high number of daily COVID-19 cases.

The announcement by National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin on Friday is certainly good news for Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) 2021 candidates, to attend learning sessions at school till the examination.

The first dose of the government-approved Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine, for children aged 12 and above, is expected to be administered to examination candidates in mid-July.

Surely this effort also provides relief to teachers and parents to help improve preparations of the affected students, who had to follow the home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) method prior to this.

Vaccination is the best shield for students, especially for candidates who will sit for examinations, to protect them from severe complications of the COVID-19 infection, said Universiti Teknologi Mara Sungai Buloh’s Faculty of Medicine’s Infectious Diseases Unit head, Dr Rosnida Mohd Noh.

Although the findings show that the COVID-19 symptoms faced by children up to 17 years old are milder than adults, the vaccination will boost the students’ confidence that they are protected before returning to school.

She explained that students also have no need to worry about the vaccine’s side effects, such as fever and headaches that some vaccine recipients may experience, as these were only temporary in nature.

“By not getting vaccinated, the risk of COVID-19 infection is greater and can cause acute effects in the long run.

“Most importantly, when students receive the vaccine, it will indirectly reduce disruption to the learning process, so students can continue their school sessions as usual,” she told Bernama.

Dr Rosnida said that based on the current situation and disclosure of information related to vaccines through various media channels, students are now seen to be more confident that the vaccination programme could be implemented successfully.

“Generally, students who will sit for examinations such as SPM and STPM are intelligent and mature enough in finding accurate information about vaccines from verified sources.

“They can make their own decisions and I think they (will) be more open to receiving the vaccine,” she added.

On the other hand, Dr Anuar Ahmad, a lecturer at the Centre of Community Education and Wellbeing, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, is of the view that vaccination of examination candidates should be more targeted.

He explained that such an approach is necessary for students in need to be vaccinated first to ensure the continuity of learning.

“An estimated 500,0000 students will sit for SPM and STPM this year.

“Due to the large numbers and limited time, it should be made clear who will be the target (students). Which group of students should be given priority… urban or rural students?” he asked.

Anuar said that if vaccination is to be carried out in stages, rural students having difficulty accessing the internet should be given priority.

He said that the move was necessary so that the students could continue face-to-face learning sessions at school.

“Meanwhile, groups that have internet access can temporarily continue with online learning. It is hoped that vaccination will be expedited and expanded for other students (non-examination candidates).

“I am sure most students will sign up to be vaccinated because young people (usually) have a better understanding of the importance of vaccines for their health,” he added.

Sources: BERNAMA

Adib Mohd

Recent Posts

TV Sarawak Is Leveling Up, From Kuching to the World with Spotlight 25/26

Since its debut in 2020, TV Sarawak (TVS) has been rewriting what it means to… Read More

20 hours ago

Skechers Steps Up the Game with New Basketball Collection

Skechers, The Comfort Technology Company™ and a global leader in lifestyle and performance footwear, has… Read More

20 hours ago

LexisNexis Brings AI Legal Sidekick to Malaysia with Protégé

Move over Suits, the future of law just got an AI upgrade. LexisNexis has officially… Read More

20 hours ago

BJAK Turns Insurance Renewals into Rewards with RM100,000 Mega Giveaway This 10.10

Renewing insurance and road tax is often a last-minute hassle, but BJAK, Malaysia’s largest online… Read More

1 day ago

SHANTEA Dessert Opens First Outlet at Mid Valley, Serving Malaysian Culture Through Sweet Creations Ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026

Malaysian flavors stepped into the spotlight today as SHANTEA Dessert officially opened its first outlet… Read More

1 day ago

Energea Powers Up Malaysia with Bold Tangerine Collection and Next-Gen Hybrid-Solid State Powerbank

Energea, the lifestyle-driven power solutions and tech accessories brand, has officially introduced two groundbreaking innovations:… Read More

1 day ago

This website uses cookies.