Najib (second right) activates the tablet as a gimmick to launch the ceremony to present the gadgets to school teachers.
KUCHING: The government aims to increase the number of local teachers in Sarawak to 90 per cent in the next three years from the present 81 per cent.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said yesterday this was to address issues that had been plaguing the Education Ministry for many years.
“Honestly, we have received countless letters in brown envelopes from teachers requesting to be transferred back to their hometowns,” he disclosed.
“As such, we hope to create a stable pool of teachers for Sarawak in order to address and reduce the requests for transfer from teachers,” he said at the ceremony to present tablet computers to primary and secondary school teachers at the Imperial Hotel here.
The tablets are installed with E-Tutor application and Utusan Melayu E-paper.
On the education sector in the state, Najib said the government had allocated RM500 million for the development of education out of the RM51.3 billion for Sarawak under this year’s budget.
“This includes the construction of 30 new primary schools, 27 secondary schools, four Mara Junior Science Colleges (MRSM) and five boarding schools.
“Apart from that, RM44.6 million have been allocated for pre-schools and food assistance programme for schoolchildren and financial assistance of RM100 for parents with income under RM3,000,” he added.
Najib also revealed that school enrolments had increased to 98 percent while the urban-rural literacy gap narrowed by 31.6 per cent, exceeding the 25 per cent target.
The tablet computer initiative, intended to give teachers access to learning and teaching anywhere anytime, will be expanded throughout the country in stages.
Also present were Najib’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid and Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak.