He added that 7% of the teachers were waiting for their second dose while 2,100 teachers were still refusing to get vaccinated.

He said 79.2% of support workers had also been fully vaccinated while the remainder were awaiting their second dose.

Schools reopen on Oct 3.

Radzi said his ministry would wait for a decision by the public service department before announcing what action it would take against teachers who refused to be vaccinated.

As for now, he said only those who were fully vaccinated would be allowed to teach in person in classrooms.

He said the 2,100 unvaccinated teachers were from various schools nationwide.

Teachers in some schools were fully vaccinated but some schools had one to three teachers who were still refusing the Covid-19 vaccines.

He assured parents that no disciplinary action would be taken against students who did not attend school.

“But inform us so that we know why the children are not in school,” he added.

On children with special needs, he said the ministry would ensure they were fully protected while attending classes in school.

He said schools were being reopened in stages after extensive consultation with various interest groups, including health experts, such as psychologists and paediatricians.

The ministry had also looked at best international practices before making its decisions.

Students attending full boarding schools will undergo Covid-19 tests three times — during registration, on the 6th day and on the 14th day of their registration.

Schools and kindergartens, he said, were required to have saliva test kits at their premises to test students showing early Covid-19 symptoms.

To a question by Charles Santiago (PH-Klang) about reports that schools were required to pay RM1,600 for the student vaccination programme, Radzi said there was some confusion over the matter.

“This confusion has now been cleared and they do not have to pay anything,” he told Santiago.