On 8 January, the rollout of the COVID-19 booster vaccine for education workers began in Mexico.
The general secretary of the SNTE (national education workers’ union), Alfonso Cepeda Salas, said the union welcomes the recognition of teachers as central to guaranteeing the fundamental right to education for all children. Cepeda Salas expressed confidence that, with the booster and the relevant health measures, 100 per cent of pupils should be able to attend face-to-face classes in 2022.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Education International has urged all countries to prioritise education workers in their national COVID-19 vaccine rollout plans, to ensure that education can continue safely and schools remain open.
The first prerequisite for this is equitable access to vaccines in all countries. Education International (EI) has called on the World Trade Organization to temporarily remove intellectual property barriers, to help boost vaccine production, through the TRIPS waiver. In the words of EI general secretary, David Edwards: “The Covid story will end with equity and leadership. No one is safe until everyone is safe.”