by DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, June 14: Sarawak is facing a critical shortage of teachers in several key subjects, particularly English, Mathematics, and Science, with the impact significantly felt in rural areas, said Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development, Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee.
According to a report by TVS, Dr Annuar highlighted that the teacher shortage has led to a mismatch between teacher specialisations and current needs, a main challenge now in Sarawak’s education system.
He said the lack of educators trained in specific fields has forced the Ministry to appoint teachers with only basic knowledge in the relevant field.
“For example, we have a shortage of Iban language teachers in schools. Therefore, we have to appoint teachers who can speak Iban even though they are not specialising in that language,” he was quoted as saying during the Sarawak Education Inspiration Dialogue organised by the Sarawak Children’s Network Association of the Sultan Idris Education University, today.
Dr Annuar stressed that the issue also stems from the reluctance of some teachers to serve in rural areas.
“For this reason, I call on prospective teachers from Sarawak to return to serve in their own State, especially in areas that are in need,” he said.
He said that the services of teachers are very much needed to help improve and strengthen the education system in Sarawak, especially in areas that have received less attention. – DayakDaily
