Rome, Aug. 20, (dpa/GNA) – In the ongoing dispute over the rules for getting children back to school in Italy, Education Minister Patrizio Bianchi has defended the mandatory vaccine requirement for teachers.
“This is not a punishment, but a basic means of restarting teaching,” Bianchi wrote in a letter printed in the daily Corriere della Sera on Friday. “Above all, the measure will protect the most vulnerable and the school itself.”
Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s cabinet agreed in early August that teachers must have proof of vaccination, tested negative for coronavirus or recently recovered from an infection in order to teach. Those who refuse could face dismissal.
Workers’ representatives criticized the policy, despite consistently stressing their support of vaccination.
The government’s priority is to get pupils back into classrooms and avoid the necessity of online teaching. Under the plans, pupils will have to wear masks and remain socially distanced.
Last year, many schools closed due to the pandemic and older pupils in particular were forced to attend classes online for months at a time.
GNA