See Chee How
KUCHING: PKR welcomes the decision of the Ministry of Education to retain the 210 temporary teachers whose service will be terminated until they have attended the scheduled second interview in June to determine their eligibility to be confirmed as teachers.
Speaking to The Borneo Post yesterday, state PKR vice chairman See Chee How expressed his appreciation to Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg and the Minister of Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing Datuk Fatimah Abdullah for their timely intervention.
However, See, who is Batu Lintang assemblyman, said the chief minister and his colleagues in the state cabinet must continue to monitor the progress of this matter and to appoint and send a team of senior officers from the state to attend and observe the second interview of these 210 interim teachers, to ensure that they are fairly treated as their contemporaries who were interviewed last month.
He added that the chief minister must also instruct the Education Service Commission (SPP) to submit a report on their issuance of the ‘release letter’ last Friday (Feb 10) which had caused much anxiety to the affected teachers and their schools.
“The abrupt termination of the services of these 210 interim teachers was drastic. Our courts have consistently ruled that employment is part of livelihood and the termination of one’s employment without just cause and excuse is deprivation of life, a grave violation of the constitutional rights of all Malaysians.
“The due process of law must be observed. For the other batch of interim teachers who were recruited with the present batch, their interviews were conducted in August last year and January this year. Those who did not attend or pass their first interview were retained until they were tested in the second interview. It is reasonable and legitimate expectation of this batch of 210 interviewees to be treated equally.
“We are grateful that this unpleasant episode has now been resolved. However, our state administration must be watchful to ensure that these 210 interim teachers will not be unfairly treated in the upcoming second interview, that it should not be an exercise to fail these interim teachers.”
See said the Ministry of Education must also reflect on themselves that it must be consistent in implementing its policy, including the recruitment of new teachers for Sabah and Sarawak.
“The ministry must have clear and transparent policy guidelines to absorb more applicants from Sabah and Sarawak into teacher training colleges, whether and how are they applicable to the intake of trained teachers of the Bachelor of Education (BEd) graduates from accredited private institutions of higher learning (IPTS) and public institutions of higher learning (IPTA).”
He said it cannot be denied that the IPTS and IPTA can and have assisted the ministry in providing applicants to be trained teachers for Sarawak and Sabah and fill the vacancies in our schools.
“However, the ministry must also make clear the legitimacy of the Bachelor of Education that is provided by the IPTS and IPTA approved by them, the scope of their study requirements in order that the students and the public are not confused as to their eligibility to be enrolled for teachers training colleges or to be absorbed as teachers.”
Meanwhile, a temporary teacher, who is among the 210 interim teachers, thanked Abang Johari for assisting them.
“The chief minister has done good for the sake of Sarawakian graduates. He gave us hope when things seemed dark (for us),” the interim teacher, who requested anonymity, told The Borneo Post yesterday.
However, she felt that the interim teachers needed to be absorbed as teachers without going through an interview, adding that the best method to assess them would be through an assessment conducted by the school principals where they were currently attached to.
“I still feel that principals’ recommendation and assessment is the best way to determine whether to absorb these teachers compared to going through an interview because the interviews conducted before this were not consistent.
“Through the assessment done by principals, those who did not perform well in school can be terminated but for those who did well, the school principal can recommend him/her to stay on as teachers. Thirty minutes in the interview room is not reliable compared to a year of experience.”
The interim teacher hoped that state Education Department director Rakayah Madon would consider her proposal, which she believed would be supported by the other interim teachers who wanted to continue to serve as teachers.
She took the opportunity to thank See and many other politicians for looking into their plight.
“We want to especially thank The Borneo Post/thesundaypost. If not because of your extensive reports, I believe our plight would remain unknown and there will be no action taken by those in authority to help us.”