STU chief: No need to import Indian teachers

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Jisin Nyud

Jisin Nyud

KUCHING: The Ministry of Education’s decision to import English teachers from India is unnecessary because there are enough teachers for the subject in the country.

Sarawak Teacher’s Union (STU) president Jisin Nyud said it was untrue that Malaysia did not have enough teachers as there are many graduates from local colleges and universities who have yet to be employed.

“Should we face shortage of English language teachers, then it is high time for us to employ our own people who are willing to be employed at anytime and priority should be given to our local graduates.

“Secondly, hiring foreigners mean we need to spend more on their wages just like what we are doing by hiring assistant teachers from Fulbright English Teacher Assistant Programme,” he told The Borneo Post when contacted.

During the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday, Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan said trained English teachers from India would be placed in several rural schools across the country, including ‘hot spot’ schools to help raise competency level of local English teachers in line with the Upholding the Malay Language and Strengthening Command of English (MBMMBI) policy.

According to him, it had been on the ministry’s agenda to bring in trained teachers from India to improve command of the language in rural schools in the country.

Jisin pointed out that the ministry should think of several factors of hiring teachers from India in terms of finance, commitment and willingness to be posted in rural areas.

“If these teachers are here, they would be very much concentrated in the town only. How many are willing to teach in the rural or interior parts of Sarawak?

“Even our local teachers are also reluctant to teach in these areas and those who are posted to Sarawak from other states can barely stand the stay of more than three years. Some even asked for transfer back after serving in Sarawak for six months,” he expressed, adding that upon expiry of the contract, many of the teachers will return to their respective states leaving the rural students here without a teacher for a few months.

Jisin remarked that local English teachers who understand the culture and background of students would be better suited to take up posts.

“After all teaching English is not about teaching the language only but other values also.

“Besides this, students will have difficulties in grasping their accent which makes it even worse. All these reasons are all inter-related.”

He disclosed that many teachers in Sarawak are of the opinion that the Ministry of Education’s proposal of importing the English teachers from India was not appropriate.

“It does benefit the students but to a minimum. If it was back in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, it was relevant as the medium of instruction was merely English and everybody speaks the language in school.”

Meanwhile, Welfare, Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah said the hiring of trained teachers from India was part of the measures to improve students’ proficiency in English under MBMMBI.

“The hiring of these teachers can help but it will not be cheap.”

She cited Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem’s suggestion to bring back the use of English in teaching Science and Mathematics was due to the dominance of the English language in the world’s scientific community.

“I think we should keep to the previous decision and stick to it,” she said.