Zahid (fourth left) accompanied by Musa (fourth right) and Mahdzir (third left) to mark the officiating of the 45th National Teachers’ Day hosted by Sabah. — Bernama photo
KOTA KINABALU: Serious attention should be given to improving the current teaching service scheme, to better protect the welfare of teachers as well as to appreciate and further nurture their role in nation building.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said teachers deserved more than just acknowledgements in the form of awards given to them for their outstanding services every year, with a better employment scheme that truly appreciate their evolving role.
He stressed that teachers were vital to the growth of the nation as their roles were no longer limited to just helping students excel academically but moulding the younger generation to become exemplary citizens and quality leaders.
The contributions and roles of teachers in developing the people of Malaysia and the success of teachers in lifting the education system to an international level was undeniable, he said.
“We are observing Teachers’ Day today not just to be nostalgic, but for the past 45 years, we have celebrated this day every year to appreciate and glorify the role of teachers. More important than that, apart from the compliments and accolades showered on teachers, we must also improve the teaching service scheme at all levels,” he said when speaking at the launch of the 45th National Teachers’ Day celebration at Universiti Malaysia Sabah campus, here yesterday.
“We have heard people saying all the time that teachers were patriots who built the nation.
Such compliments are appropriate but it would be even more appropriate if such compliments come with better scheme for the teachers,” he said to a crowd of some 6,000 teachers from across the country who had gathered in Sabah to take part in this year’s celebration.
Also present were Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, and his two deputies Datuk P. Kamalanathan and Senator Chong Sin Woon, Education Department director-general Datuk Seri Dr Khair Mohamad Yusof and Sabah Education director Maimunah Suhaibul.
Zahid said he believed that the current Education Minister, who has a teaching background, would do his best for his fellow teachers.
He added that he was confident improvement measures would be taken and the teaching service scheme would be better than the present once the national economy had recovered.
He also urged the Education Ministry to look into the school curriculum to put more emphasis on cross-cultural and religious integration among students.
“I urge the education ministry to start taking a serious look at the curriculum for cross-culture to give it focus to create real unity, not just in the classroom but also outside the school. Cross-culture must be fostered at the primary school level, and even in pre-school,” he said.
Instilled at a very early stage such as pre-school, he said racial, cultural and religious tolerance would nurture real and strong unity among the people.
He noted that a study of the unity index conducted by the education ministry in 2014 found that the interaction index between teachers and students was 6.69, which showed that the ties between the two were strong.
However, the acceptance level of the differences in race, culture and religion was still low.
“During my time as student in university, the level of interaction between people of different races, cultures and religions in institutes of higher learning was low. People were inclined and comfortable to stick with their own ethnic group.
“However, if the interaction was fostered at an earlier stage, people would get to know and respect others, thus promoting real unity among Malaysians at all levels,” he said.
Zahid also expressed confidence that with the various transformations in the national education system being implemented, and the high level of commitment of teachers, the local skilled workforce could fill the 1.5 million jobs to be created in the country by 2020.