By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 9: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Dudong Branch chairman Wong Ching Yong has questioned whether the Education Ministry (MoE) has sufficient manpower and resources to implement its co-teaching model slated for 2027.
In a statement, Wong, who is also SUPP assistant publicity and information secretary, said while he would never oppose reforms for the sake of opposing, he described the approach as ‘overly rushed and lacking in preparation’.
“Reform cannot be based on sudden inspiration or borrowed examples from other countries. This is not like seeing an interesting recipe online and trying it out yourself, where if it fails, you lose one meal. But a poorly thought-out education reform risks ruining the future of an entire generation,” he said.
He cited statements from other parties—the West Malaysia Malay Teachers Union, Malaysian School Principals Council, and National Union of the Teaching Profession—calling for a comprehensive audit of teacher numbers to prevent worsening shortages and clear short- and long-term manpower planning, as well as to address the fact that teachers remain unclear about how to implement co-teaching.
In addition to sufficient manpower, Wong also brought up the following questions:
- Can training for teaching and assessment be adequately prepared in time, given that most teachers are trained in single subjects?
- Has the ministry considered the order of policy priorities, such as addressing resource and teacher shortages before introducing new systems?
- Has the ministry considered the order of policy priorities, such as addressing resource and teacher shortages, before introducing new systems?
- Will parents be informed in advance of the implementation details and expected outcomes of the dual-teacher system? If not, does this mean the policy was announced before the details were even studied?
“While the Education Minister, Fadhlina Sidek, may be eager to leave a legacy, education transformation must be approached with utmost caution because the cost of failure would be immense,” he said.
He added that proper education reform should begin by identifying its objectives and current challenges; followed by a clear plan of resources, costs and manpower; engaging stakeholders for consultation; conducting transparent pilot studies; and ensuring teachers are well-trained.
Even after all that, he said, new systems should be implemented in phases, with early evaluations to make improvements.
Meanwhile, Wong proposed that if Fadhlina was genuinely looking to make an impactful contribution to Malaysia’s education landscape, she should fulfil Pakatan Harapan’s written pledge to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).
Wong also commented on the ministry’s plan to merge several Year One subjects, Science, Health Education, Art, Music, and Digital Literacy, into a single subject starting in 2027 and warned that, since teachers are trained and qualified by subject, such an integration would require entirely new training programmes involving a vast number of teachers nationwide.
On a related note, Sarawak, in particular, has long been struggling with the shortage of teachers.
In a previous report, Sarawak Minister of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development (MEITD), Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn, said that vacancies remain high as many applicants do not meet the required qualifications. — DayakDaily
