A total of 490 teachers in Sarawak has opted for early retirement in the last three years or 0.004 percent of the total number of teachers in the state.
Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn said that the percentage was based on the survey done by Sarawak State Education Department.
“There main reasons for those who decided to retire early, including health issues, being in teaching for more than 30 years and decided to move to other areas while some wanted to focus on family,” he said.
Sagah said any application for early retirement by teachers would be submitted to the Ministry of Health and the Department of Public Service Malaysia for final decision.
He said in his ministerial winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here today.
In 2019, the total number of teachers who opted for early retirement was 138 teachers, while 164 teachers in 2020 and 188 teachers in 2021.
Sagah also said his ministry very concerned on the issue of shortage of teachers in Sarawak.
“As rducation is under the Federal Government’s purview, which includes the hiring and transfer of teachers, our hands are tied. However, we have put up several recommendations and proposals to the Ministry of Education (MOE) to address the issue,” he explained.
“We are glad that some of these proposals have been taken up by MOE, for example, the one-off teachers recruitment exercise in 2021, where 2,393 teachers were recruited for Sarawak of which 766 are Sarawakians.”
