Teachers' Union Demands Vaccination, Online Education

The Democratic Union of Teachers (PDSZ) is demanding that the Hungarian government vaccinate teachers as soon as possible and introduce a digital work schedule.

As the Hungarian news agency MTI reports, a letter with the demands was sent to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the Minister of Human Resources, Miklós Kásler, the Minister of Innovation and Technology László Palkovics and the State Secretary for Public Education Zoltán Maruzsa on Sunday afternoon.

"We demand that the staff of public educational institutions be in the first round among those who receive the vaccine authorized by the appropriate body of the European Union, immediately after those working in the health and social field!"

In the document, the union recalled that according to the World Education Organization and UNESCO, educators must be a high-priority group when organizing vaccinations in order to protect health and the right to education.
According to PDSZ, epidemiological measures in education should not be relaxed, but should be stepped up. However, educators will be "herded back" to educational institutions from Monday abd thus, they will remain in a vulnerable position. Even precautions that are already essential in other areas, such as mask wearing or plexiglass, have not been made available by the relevant authorities.

According to the union, the testing provided to educators is only a sham measure, it is currently provided once and is inaccessible to many due to the distance, poor traffic conditions and the early compulsion to travel home dut to the curfew. In addition, testing dates have passed quickly and traveling to test is a risk for those who do not have a car or do not live near the test point.
As long as there is not enough protection, no vaccination, a digital agenda is needed for the safety of those working in public education and families.

"Create the conditions for a digital agenda that does not re-establish the situation in the spring, but truly guarantees the right to education, as well as the right to health and safe work. Provide support for employers and employees to make digital no one should lose their job because of their work schedule and their income should not fall out because of it!," the document demands from the government.