Jame (fourth left) and Lam (fourth right) and others showing their support to the “Peace Campaign: Everything You Treasure, A World Free From Nuclear” exhibition.
KOTA KINABALU: State Education director, Datuk Jame Alip, said the State Education Department (JPNS) needs to be involved directly in selecting the teachers to be posted in Sabah.
Jame made the call to the federal government yesterday to allow the state to have a more active role in the selection process, saying the department has a better understanding of the issues related to the shortage of teachers in Sabah.
“The department knows better, if the teacher is from Pensiangan, for example, it would be better if that teacher is posted in that area.
“This will make its easier to get teachers to teach in remote areas where not many want to go,” he said, adding that JPNS should also be involved in selecting the candidates for teaching institutes.
Met after officiating at the “Everything You Treasure, A World Free From Nuclear” exhibition organized by Sokka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) here yesterday, he said, although the department is involved in the registration of applicants, it has no power in deciding which candidates should be selected.
Jame also said strict requirements should be maintained to ensure only teachers with the highest standard and quality are taken, but some leniency can be considered, to give priority to locals in filling the posts in certain areas where shortage of teachers is critical.
He noted that currently all jurisdictions for selecting the teachers are with the Institute Pendidikan Guru Malaysia (IPGM).
“We will not compromise on the quality of the teachers for we believe that excellent, creative and innovative teachers will produce quality students. So, teachers must meet certain criteria,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jame said that the over 1,000 teaching vacancies in Sabah were for teachers in various options and specializations.
He said, although many teachers from Sabah currently serving in other states were applying to return home to fill those vacancies, not all of them has the right specialization. He also reiterated that the current registration of graduates for filling the available posts in Sabah is open only for those with qualifications in teaching and education from any accredited institutes.
On the exhibition, Jame said the department was always willing to work with SGM in organizing programmes to create awareness and promote peace among the students.
He said educating the younger generation on the dangers of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction is a noble effort and schools can play an important role on this aspect.
“The teachers can incorporate the campaign to promote peace to their classes. It has been 70 years since atomic bombs destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki but today nuclear weapons are still a threat to the human race.
“Sokka Gakkai International and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapon (ICAN) has taken the initiative and joined force to organize exhibition such as this, to promote awareness among the general masses on the importance of abolishing these weapons,” he said.
SGM Sabah chairman, Lam Choi Sing, said the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is a gruesome reminder of the terrible danger mass destruction weapons pose on humans.
He noted that despite the number of nuclear weapons in the world have been reduced to less than 16,000, the combined power of these weapons could still wipe out the entire human race many times over.
“Our peace campaign is aimed to heighten awareness on the dangers of these weapons. Through such campaign like this, we could create more awareness and voices to abolish nuclear weapons worldwide,” he said.