Stop sending mismatched teachers to Sarawak, ministry told

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SIBU: Sarawak Teachers’ Union (STU) has called for a stop to the `dumping’ of unsuitable teachers from the peninsula to Sarawak.

Its president Jisin Nyud said many schools were grumbling as the teachers posted to their schools were not of the right subject options.

“This issue has been brought up to the Education Ministry several times, but it is still not resolved. The saddest part is the affected schools have to accept them.

“What makes the matter worse is that some of these teachers cannot teach other subjects. So the school has to ask them to teach minor or elective subjects,” he told The Borneo Post.

Jisin said since these teachers would be here for some time, the school administrators had no choice but to redo the loading of subjects according to what the new teachers could teach, and this affected the whole school timetable.

“The funny thing is that if they did not have teachers who met the state education department’s requirements, why keep sending the `wrong’ teachers?”

On the other hand, Jisin noted there were locals with degrees in education from private institutions who were still scouting for jobs, either as a teacher or lecturer.

He suggested these graduates be absorbed into the teaching force.

Jisin said during their teaching practice in schools, some of them were found to be very good, committed and passionate about teaching.

“Therefore, if we don’t utilise these graduates, it is a loss of human resources.

“As Sarawakians, I really pity them because their precious scroll is not even noticed by our Education Ministry. If I were their parents, I would be very upset too.

“Looking at the requirements as outlined in the online application into teaching institutions and universities, I believe many of our children meet the criteria.”

Jisin reiterated that the state really needed more locals to be teachers because they knew the local culture and lifestyle best.

With the recent promise by Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the support of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem, STU hoped more Sarawakians would be taken into teaching institutions and local universities.

He reckoned this was a good time for the federal government to prove to Sarawak that teaching was a serious matter and any issue pertaining to it was very sensitive.

“Not only the intake of teachers but also promotion of teachers as principals, headmasters and senior assistants in Sarawak,” he added.

“We want our own people to be in charge. Should this request be ignored, we can expect unhappiness and dissatisfaction among the locals.”

On another matter, STU concurred with Adenan that there should be no more mismatch of jobs against qualifications as the state moved towards industrialisation.

Adenan had said the key to transforming the state towards industrialisation was skilled manpower as the backbone for the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).

Opening the 4th Sarawak Career and Training (SCaT) Fair 2015 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) recently, Adenan said the future now lay in technical education and that the state needed skilled manpower like other developed nations.

Jisin said: “This is crucial as only the person who is trained in that particular field knows best.

“If we do not meet what is required, do not expect Sarawak to prosper. This is what is happening to teaching now.”