KUCHING: Education, Innovation, and Talent Development (MEITD) Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee has proposed an automatic recall policy for Sarawakian teachers currently in other states to alleviate the shortage issue.
He urged the federal Ministry of Education (MoE) to allow these teachers to return home, stressing against forcing teachers from other states to serve in Sarawak will only demoralise them.
Dr Annuar proposed that the ministry implement a policy to automatically recall Sarawakian teachers to address the shortage issue.
“I feel that it is only natural for non-Sarawakian individuals to be reluctant or disinterested in coming to Sarawak.
“However, this most crucial policy should be implemented by the ministry, not through force. Force doesn’t seem appropriate; the best approach would be for all Sarawakian teachers to automatically return to Sarawak to teach.
“That policy should be implemented first to reduce the number of people who refuse to come to Sarawak. If this policy can be implemented as soon as possible, it might reduce the reluctance and refusal to serve in Sarawak,” he said in a dialogue over Television Sarawak (TVS) last night.
Responding to the reported refusal of 200 teachers from Peninsular Malaysia to report to their assigned schools in Sarawak, he expressed optimism that by 2024, this matter should be resolved, aiming for near completion.
“InshaAllah, we should be able to address the shortage of teachers in our secondary schools by next year.
“As for primary schools, we might reach approximately 75 per cent resolution of the teacher shortage issue,” he added.
Meanwhile, he lamented that, other than the issue of a shortage of teachers, an excessive focus on non-teaching duties may contribute to the state’s comparatively lower performance in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations.
Dr Annuar acknowledged the prevailing issues surrounding the role of teachers in Sarawak.
While the primary duty of teachers is to educate, he said a significant portion of their time is allocated to administrative tasks, diverting attention from the core function of teaching.
As such, he stressed the necessity of reducing non-teaching responsibilities, recognising that teachers’ heavy workloads hinder their ability to especially focus on academically weak students.
“The role of a teacher is to teach. However, most of their time is not spent on teaching but rather on various activities, such as preparing reports.
“I believe this should be reduced, not just in words but through a genuine understanding and consideration of teachers, so that the burden on them, aside from teaching, is lessened as quickly as possible,” he added.
