Posting of religious teachers to state temporary — Mahdzir

KUCHING: Aspiring teachers who wish to teach Islamic studies must possess the right qualification before they can be accepted by the Ministry of Education .

Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said one of the requirements to apply to become a teacher is to have either a degree or diploma in education.

“These days, there are also aspiring teachers with degrees in Syariah law or Usuluddin. But they must be sent to teachers’ training college where they will be taught how to teach and so on.

“These aspiring teachers would have to get their training first before they are deemed qualified to teach students at schools,” he told a press conference after presenting special allocation cheques to Chinese primary schools in Sarawak at SJK(C) Chung Hua No.3 here yesterday.

He was asked to comment on a recent news report that Welfare, Women and Community Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah had revealed that the State Islamic Religious Department (Jais) has received 4,438 applications for Islamic religious teachers from Jan 12 to 27 this year.

This was then countered by State DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen who argued that in a letter dated Feb 3, the State Education Department with Fatimah’s and the state government’s consent has requested for 433 Islamic religious teachers from Peninsular Malaysia to teach in the state.

To this, Mahdzir said he would look into the matter with Jais.

“I don’t mind looking into it and if it is indeed true there were more than 4,000 applications for the post of Islamic religious teachers, we will ask the applicants to resend their applications and see if they are qualified or not.

“If they have the proper education such as degree in education or if he or she has degrees in education and Islamic studies, then it is not wrong for us to hire them,” he said.

Touching on the issue of hiring religious teachers from Peninsular Malaysia,  he said the postings were merely to fill the vacancies for the post in the state.

“Yes, there is the (state government) 90:10 policy which means that one day there will be 90 per cent of teachers in Sarawak who are Sarawakians and the remaining ten per cent from either Peninsular Malaysia or Sabah.

“However, there is an ongoing vacancy for Islamic teachers in the state because there are insufficient local teachers who can teach the subject in Sarawak,” he said.

Therefore, he pointed out that due to the shortage of teachers students in schools do not have teachers who are able to teach them the subject.

“If for three months, we cannot find Islamic teachers to teach the subject at schools in Sarawak, don’t tell me we should just leave the students with no teachers to teach them?” he asked.

He pointed out that Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg had also agreed to the posting of religious teachers from Peninsular Malaysia to the state.

“He has agreed for us to post teachers to schools which need to fill the vacancy of Islamic religious teachers.”

Earlier, Mahdzir presented the special allocation cheques to 68 schools under 11 District Education offices in Kuching zone following the presentation of the same allocation cheques to 112 schools under 19 district education offices in Bintulu at SJK(C) Chung Hua, Bintulu in the morning.

“The cheques amounting to RM9.04 million were presented to 180 national-type Chinese schools under the government-aided schools (SBK) category.”

The 68 schools under Kuching zone received RM3.64 million while the 112 schools under Bintulu zone received RM5.4 million.

Also present were Local Government Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian, Assistant Minister for Land and Air Transportation and Safety Datuk Lee Kim Shin, Education director-general Tan Sri Dr Khair Mohd Yusof, Ministry of Education (Education Development) deputy Secretary-general Datuk Seri Azmi Lateh, State Education Department director Rakayah Madon, and Federation of the Board of Management of Aided Chinese Primary Schools Sarawak secretary-general Jonathan Chai.