By Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, May 18: Tamin assemblyman Christopher Gira Sambang expressed his concern about the critical shortage of teachers teaching the Iban language compared to other subjects.
He urged the government and the Ministry of Education (MOE) to address the issue immediately.
“Based on the results of the study that has been presented in 2023, a total of 2,100 Iban teachers is needed in primary schools throughout Sarawak and 26 Iban teachers in secondary schools.
“The issue needs to be addressed as those serving and teaching the subject will retire in the near future,” he said when debating the Sarawak Governor’s speech speech at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here today.
He said the lack of teachers to teach the Iban language subject will become a critical issue if it fails to be comprehensively resolved by MOE and the Sarawak Department of Education.
“This concern was once voiced by the President of Sarawak Bumiputera Teachers Union (KGBS),” he pointed out.
Gira proposed MoE increase the number of Iban language trainee teachers in Sarawak and give them appropriate training in existing teachers’ education institutes (IPGs) in line with their recognised standards.
“Secondly, MoE needs to give priority to IPG graduates and graduates with teaching degrees from recognised institutions to fill the vacancies.
“At the same time, MoE should also increase the number of Iban language trainee teachers in each recruitment into teaching colleges by at least 100 trainees every year until the issue of the Iban language teacher shortage is resolved,” he suggested.
Gira opined that resolving the shortage should be prioritised by MoE as it will affect efforts to improve the mastery of the Iban language among the younger generation.
“The Iban language is no longer an ethnic language to be used and spoken by the Iban community alone but has developed into one of the languages owned and learned by the people as a whole.
“It is not only as a “mother tongue” language, but as a culture and ensures that this language is preserved,” said Gira. — DayakDaily
