‘More temporary teachers, but by selective recruitments’

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Jisin Nyud

Ahmad Malie

SIBU: Sarawak Teachers’ Union (STU) supports the call by Minister of Welfare, Women and Family Development Datuk Fatimah Abdullah to recruit more temporary teachers, but suggests selective recruitment.

STU acting president Jisin Nyud said selective recruitment would ensure teaching quality.

“The Education Department has to make sure these teachers really have an interest in teaching, and not just to get employed or to fill in the gap,” Jisin told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Fatimah was quoted to have said the state needed over 300 more teachers in secondary schools, necessitating recruitment of more temporary teachers.

She reportedly said there was a shortage of teachers in various subjects.

Jisin said: “No doubt that there is a need for temporary teachers as this will also help to fill in the gap left by teachers, especially when they retire, and with the present PBS implementation.

“The importance of teachers cannot be denied. They must be rewarded for the work they do in educating our children, and preparing them for a future where they can work and build a prosperous life.

“Therefore, the recruitment of temporary teachers is crucial to fill in classroom vacancies on a short-term basis, where they will take on classroom teaching duties and also the burden shouldered by other teachers during their absence or vacant periods.

“However, this option should be looked into by the ministry as there are pros and cons in the long run.”

Sarawak Bumiputera Teachers Union (KGBS) lauded Fatimah’s call, but preferred graduates from teachers training colleges and public institutions of higher learning in the educational field to be appointed to address the problem of teacher shortage.

“For KGBS, it is not necessary to recruit temporary teachers at this point as there are students in teachers training colleges and public institutions of higher learning in the field of education who had completed their course but yet to be appointed,” KGBS president Ahmad Malie said.

Malie said KGBS would prefer the Education Ministry appoint this group of candidates to fill in the vacant slots.

He said doing so would mitigate the problem of unemployment and, besides, this group of candidates have better skills compared to temporary teachers.