By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, June 22: PAS Sarawak hopes that the Education Ministry (MOE) will give priority to Sarawakian graduates to serve as teachers in Sarawak for the one-off intake of teachers in July.
Its information chief Zharudin Narudin in a statement said the move will meet the needs of locals and would be vital for the Sarawak education system to progress further.
He also believed the intake of Sarawakian graduates will fill the shortage of teachers faced by some schools in Sarawak at the moment.
“As one of the states most affected by the shortage of teachers, the move is seen as the best move, and has long been awaited by PAS Sarawak.
“In May, Sarawak Teachers’ Union’s President (Adam Prakash Abdullah) mentioned his concern over the matter, stating that Sarawak is in need of 3000 teachers.
“PAS hopes the intake will fill the void faced by some Sarawak schools at the moment,” he said in a statement.
Zharudin added that the majority of teachers from Peninsular Malaysia have opted to go back after a period of time, leaving a vacuum with fewer experienced teachers in Sarawak.
In the long run, he believed there will be an impact to the schools’ performance as many experienced teachers leave.
At the same time, he called on Sarawakian graduates to apply for the teaching post as soon as the intake offer opens on July 7.
He added that the new intake for Sarawakian graduates will ease the burden shoulder by existing teachers in districts with large enrolment of students per school such as in Bintulu, whereby the shortage of teachers per school could reach more than 20.
“We are afraid if the intake is not done soon enough some teachers will eventually experience burnout.
“For Sarawak education, PAS feels the news has also given new hope to bridge the gap between students in cities and remote areas.
“Tthe shortage of teachers does have an impact on students and schools’ performance,” he added.
Last Sunday, Senior Minister of Education Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin announced that MOE will hold a special one-off teacher recruitment with 18,702 slots for Education Service Officers grade DG41 beginning July this year. — DayakDaily
