IPOH: The vaccination rate among primary school pupils is still quite low, says Datuk Dr Mohd Radzi Jidin.

       The Education Minister said the vaccination rate among children aged five to 11 years old nationwide was only at about 35%.

       "The vaccination rate in some states is far lower than others," he said at a press conference during a visit to SK Syed Idrus in Chemor to check on operations on the first day of the 2022/2023 schooling session on Monday (March 21).

       "We are working closely with the Health Ministry to ensure that the vaccination rate among children can go up. We are discussing the best methods to increase the rate," he added.

       Radzi said parents need to be more open-minded about vaccinating their children, adding that they need to consider the current situation as the country prepares to enter the endemic phase.

       "As explained, we cannot wait for all to be vaccinated or a certain threshold on the vaccination rate to be reached before all students can return to schools without taking turns," he said.

       "We will monitor the current schooling sessions for a period of time and hopefully, we can allow the students to go back to school when the time is right," added Radzi.