Teachers from the peninsula told to take their postings as a challenge

0

Entulu presents the award certificate to Mauh (second right) as Selangau District Education officer Jambai Sayong (second left) and others look on.

SIBU: Teachers from the peninsula who are serving in remote areas in Sarawak should accept their postings as a way to gain new exposure and more knowledge.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun said they could then explain the differences between Sarawakians and Peninsular Malaysians when they were posted back to their hometowns.

He said this would improve understanding, integrity and familiarity between people in the peninsula and those in Sarawak and Sabah.

“During their time of service in Sarawak, most probably they will find the cultures and ways of life different from theirs.

“I believe this will happen when they are posted to remote areas like in upper Kapit and Belaga,” he said at the Selangau district-level Teacher’s Day celebration held here on Tuesday.

He also told these teachers to learn local dialects.

In the past, he noted, local people could identify people from the peninsula straight away from their slang and dialect.

“Sometimes, Sarawakians can really imitate the way they talk.

“I do not know if there is a West Malaysian who can converse well in Bahasa Melayu Sarawak, but there will be real integration if they can do that.”

On efforts by the government to improve education in the country, Entulu, who is also Selangau MP, said a lot of improvements in education had been made.

But the country had not reached the level where Malaysians could be proud of, he opined.

“We still have to improve,” he said, noting that efforts by teachers at excellent schools like SK Ulu Lubai in Limbang should be emulated by others.

Entulu later announced allocations of RM10,000 and RM5,000 for every secondary and primary school in Selangau parliamentary constituency.

He also announced a RM10,000 grant for the Selangau Headmasters’ Board.

At the function, Tamin assemblyman Datuk Joseph Mauh Ikeh was awarded the ‘Anugerah Tokoh Guru’.

Born in 1951, Joseph Mauh was a teacher before he joined politics in 1990.