SIBU: Sarawak Bumiputera Teachers Union (KGBS) fully supports Minister of Women, Welfare and Community Wellbeing Datuk Fatimah Abdullah’s call for the state government to be empowered to employ local graduates as teachers.
Its president Ahmad Malie said appointing and filling teaching vacancies with qualified replacement teachers was a step in the right direction to overcome the shortage of teachers faced by the state Education Department.
He said based on the information provided, it was clear that the state Education Department was facing a shortage of 988 teachers.
“In this regard, we urge the Ministry of Education to look into this issue and strive to implement the empowerment as what has been promised by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak previously,” Ahmad told The Borneo Post recently.
He was commenting on the call for the Education Ministry to expedite the issuance of authorisation to Sarawak so that it could employ local graduates as teachers.
Fatimah said there were now 988 vacancies for teachers in the state and wanted all of them to be filled the latest by March.
She said since education fell under the purview of the federal government, the state would have to get the authorisation from the Education Ministry first before it could start recruiting.
Fatimah was reported to have said this at a press conference after chairing the Sarawak Education Consultancy Council (MPPS) meeting in Kuching recently.
On the selection of prospective replacement teachers, KGBS stressed that the state government should not compromise with the conditions to become teachers, Ahmad said.
“KGBS hopes that it is not just taking into consideration their examination result and the degree they possess but rightly, there should be a screening test so that prospective teachers selected later on are those motivated and passionate about teaching and not merely taking up the profession,” he said.
KGBS was therefore hoping that Fatimah’s call could be considered and given speedy approval in an effort to tackle the issue of teacher shortage in Sarawak.
If the issue was not taken seriously by the party concerned, students would end up the victims, Ahmad added.