In an effort to improve the effectiveness of vaccination protection for children, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia, through the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), provides a booster vaccination dose for school-age children through the School Child Immunization Month (BIAS) program, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Culture. The BIAS program in schools not only utilizes school buildings as the venue for vaccination but also involves teachers who serve as facilitators. In this case, teachers assist in the vaccination process carried out by health officers, from providing information on the vaccination schedule to collecting parental consent for vaccination (informed consent). Another equally important role is for teachers to act as “extensions” in disseminating information about the importance of vaccination for children, particularly to parents. Therefore, teachers need to be equipped with knowledge on effective information dissemination methods in schools.
“The results of a thesis research conducted by one of the students from the Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia found that two main reasons why parents refuse vaccination for their children at school are the lack of information about the vaccination process and concerns about side effects (such as fever) after immunization. These findings serve as a strong foundation for us to optimize the teachers’ abilities and confidence as the closest source of information for parents through training,” explained Dr. rer. med. Putri Bungsu Machmud, S.K.M., M.Epid., Head of the FPH UI Community Service Team.
The FPH UI Community Service Team, in collaboration with the Health Polytechnic (Poltekkes) of the Ministry of Health Jakarta I, conducted a training session entitled “Equipping SDN Pisangan Timur 18 Teachers as Information Disseminators on the Importance of Vaccination for Schoolchildren.”
“This training is very beneficial for us (teachers). Sometimes, many parents are still unfamiliar with vaccination, and I have even encountered cases where my students refused immunization because their parents prohibited it,” said Siti Juliati, S.Pd., Principal of SDN 18 Pisangan Timur, East Jakarta.
The training was provided to 26 teachers from SDN Pisangan Timur 18, East Jakarta, in a face-to-face session on September 12, 2024, in collaboration with the East Jakarta Health Office (Sudinkes) as the training resource persons. The session began with a presentation on the BIAS program, the vaccination schedule, and other important information for the teachers. During this session, the teachers were also given the opportunity to discuss challenges they had encountered in implementing the BIAS program with Sudinkes.
“Such activities are very beneficial, and we strongly support them. We also hope that this kind of training can be carried out in other schools, especially in areas with low vaccination coverage,” said Dr. Tri Mustikawati, supported by Mr. Muhamad Gupron, the resource person and immunization program manager from Sudinkes East Jakarta.
It is hoped that more teachers in schools will receive similar training to support their role as sources of information that enhance health programs in Indonesia.