KUALA LUMPUR: Teachers who refuse to get themselves vaccinated against Covid-19 without any valid reason have been urged to "gracefully resign".
Parent Action Group for Education (Page) president Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said teachers who refused to get themselves vaccinated can instead provide private tuition online.
These teachers, she said, can also choose optional retirement depending on their age.
"On unvaccinated teachers (without valid reasons), we urge them to gracefully resign and opt for online private tuition which can be lucrative if the teacher is skilled.
"The other option is this group of teachers can choose optional retirement depending on one's age," Noor Azimah told the New Straits Times.
She was asked to comment on the ruling by the Public Service Department (PSD) that made it compulsory for all federal civil servants, including teachers, to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
The department had said disciplinary action will be taken against civil servants who refused to get vaccinated under the Public Officers (Conduct and Discipline) Regulations 1993.
The exception would be civil servants who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons, in which case they must submit information verified by a government medical officer to their respective head of department.
The Education Ministry had previously said teachers who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19 may be transferred elsewhere if their actions cause the Teaching and Learning (PdP) process of students to be affected.
Senior Minister (Education) Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin had said that this is one of the solutions being mulled in the interest of the students' safety.
"Of the 2,500 teachers who refused to be vaccinated, now there are only about 2,000 of them. This may look like a small number but we cannot let this go on and we must take immediate action," Radzi told reporters after visiting the Langkawi Vocational College last month.