KUCHING: Graduates with an education degree from a public institution of higher learning (IPTA), especially those sponsored by the Ministry of Education (MOE) will continue to be given priority for job placements in public schools.
Welfare, Women and Family Development minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah clarified this yesterday in response to the news highlighted on Feb 8 regarding the discrimination towards education graduates from private institutions.
Last week, chairman of SIDMA College for Sabah and Sarawak Professor Dr Mornie Kambrie urged the MOE and Education Department to look into this matter concerning the stoppage of intake for teaching graduates from private institutions to public schools.
“According to the Human Resource Section of MOE, priority will be given to candidates who are sponsored by MOE or are permitted by MOE to be trained in an IPTA that has signed an MoU with the ministry beforehand.
“MOE has no MoU with private institutions of higher learning to train their teachers for the purpose of placement in government schools,” she elaborated.
In addition, Fatimah said that the intake of teachers under the MOE for government schools was based on the vacancies available.
However, she said these graduates may have the opportunity to apply as MOE teachers when the open intake system is implemented by the education ministry.
As such, Fatimah reckons that local private institutions meet up with the MOE to discuss and find a solid solution to this matter of which she is willing to take the lead.
“I am willing to lead the discussion if needed. We can get together to discuss this matter, to ask MOE to absorb these graduates into the system, and also graduates in early childhood education to fill the Kemas posts,” she said.
Last week, Mornie claimed that SIDMA College had received a memo from the Education Department on January 2010 stating that the intake for teachers to teach in government schools only applies to those from IPTA.
However, he said MOE had no problem taking in graduates from private institutions previously.
As such, he felt that such sudden change was unfair and not right as opportunities should be given equally to graduates from both private and public higher learning institutions.
Mornie said he had also highlighted the matter to the education minister on July 2010 but has yet to received his reply.
Following the memo issued by the Education Department, he said students were very concerned about their future.