SERIAN: The State Education Department is in the process of recruiting unemployed graduates as school teachers.
According to Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Datuk Seri Michael Manyin Jawong, there is a shortage of about 2,170 teachers in primary and secondary schools throughout Sarawak.
He said he had briefed the Cabinet on the issue and discussed with the State Education Department on the shortage of teachers in the state.
“So what we are trying to do now is to negotiate with the Ministry of Education (MoE). If they agree, we will recruit the unemployed graduates.
“We will employ them as temporary teachers, and if they are suitable, then they will be recommended to obtain their Diploma in Education.
“But for that, we must first get the permission from the MoE.
“So if they allow this, then the Diploma would take maybe one and a half years to complete and they’ll be qualified as trained teachers,” he said when met by reporters after officiating at the handing over of school uniform vouchers for Tebedu constituency at Dewan Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tebakang, here yesterday.
He disclosed that the MoE also asked the State Education Department for permission to send in more teachers from Malaya.
However, he noted that there was a policy, crafted during the leadership of former chief minister, the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem, to have a 90-10 percent ratio of Sarawakian teachers and West Malaysian teachers.
“Today, we have reached 93 percent Sarawakian teachers and seven percent West Malaysian teachers.
“It is not proper for us to reverse the decision made by Adenan, so we stick to that decision,” he added.
Manyin also mentioned that the state had previously discussed with Putrajaya to prioritise applicants from Sarawak to enter the Teacher Education Institutes (IPGs) nationwide.
He explained that the approach could not be resolved due to the shortage of local applicants into the IPGs.
“We still don’t have enough applicants, because in order to enter IPG, you need a minimum of 5As at Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) level.
“Quite a lot of people get 5As, but teaching is not their first choice. A lot of them prefer to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants and other professions.
“As a result, we have a shortage of applicants to become teachers. So we cannot actually solve that problem through giving priorities to Sarawakians,” he clarified.
