KUCHING: Sarawak Teachers Union (STU) has urged the Ministry of Education (MoE) to resolve the critical shortage of Islamic Education option teachers in the state.

It also wants the ministry to sort out issues involving Education Service Officers (EPP) in Sarawak.

Apart from that, the union has also appealed to recalibrate the status of Outstanding Teachers (GC) from grade DG48 to DG 54 in primary schools.

The union, in a statement today, also noted that often, principals and senior assistants (of primary schools) had to give up their positions from the administration and return as normal academic teachers in the school when there’s a promotion to grade DG 52.

“This scenario affected the smooth operation of administrative management before,” it said during STU’s 26th Biennial Delegates Conference at Grand Margherita Hotel here over the weekend.

The conference was officiated by Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Roland Sagah representing Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg on Saturday night (Sept 3).

The next day, the union held its biennial conference, in addition to receiving knowledge input from the Education Service Commission (ESC) and a briefing on insurance from Tony Ng & Associates.