By Marlynda Meraw
KUCHING, Dec 1: The Sarawak government is pursuing solutions to mitigate the shortage of teachers in the State, including bringing Sarawakian teachers serving in Peninsular Malaysia home.
However, according to Minister for Education, Innovation, and Talent Development (MEITD) Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn, the plan faces a challenge that goes beyond administrative policy.
He said that Sarawak fully supports the request for the return of these teachers to help fill existing vacancies, recognising the importance of filling vacancies with local talent.
“We certainly agree with that, and we want to bring the Sarawakians back to teach here,” said Sagah to reporters today.
Despite the willingness of the Sarawak government to facilitate the transfers aimed at reducing the staffing gap, Sagah pointed out that the decision ultimately rests with the individuals, many of whom have built lives in Peninsular Malaysia.
“But this is all about human nature. If they are married with the people there, why would they want to come back here? These sort of things.
“But other reasons why they don’t want to come back. It’s not that we don’t want to take them back, but they have their own reasons,” he explained.
The MEITD minister attended the memorandum of understanding (MoU) exchange between the Sarawak government, Pertubuhan Aspirasi Guru Sarawak, and Arc Technologies Sdn Bhd today.
The MoU highlighted State’s efforts in leveraging technology to engage students through the introduction of the new education application, Sarawak Collaborative Learning Interactive Experience (SCALE).
SCALE is a digital book where students can interact and play games for the subject of Mathematics, Science, and English.
Responding to a question on the app’s features designed to attract students’ interest, Sagah emphasised its alignment with modern youth culture.
“We believe that especially now, all the students are interested in all the apps, all the gadgets, and all that,” he said, explaining that this natural attraction is the primary draw of the app.
Sagah said the app’s design is fundamentally interactive to maintain engagement and foster future-ready skills. — DayakDaily
