“Ling, Ling, what did you have for dinner?”
I AM referring to the personal problem faced by married teachers in Sarawak who are forced to live separately from their spouses, not by choice but because of the dictates of geography and of the need to pursue a vocation.
For years this problem of forced physical separation has been a bane to the teaching profession, and the more teachers there are, the worse the problem will be. Especially for teachers with families.
Imagine the following situation in which a married couple find themselves: the wife teaches in a school in Belaga and the husband works in Bau. For the next two years, they will not see each other except during school holidays. For example, the Gawai holiday provides time for the couple to be with each other. So make hay while the sun shines.
Nowadays, they can instantly communicate with each other by phone but communication facilities are not available everywhere, especially in the rural schools. For phone battery charging, power comes from the school generator. Internet connection is not always available; even if available, the system is not always reliable.
They can send selfies every day to each other – today with a cat, tomorrow with a chilli plant or a gold fish. Pictures of children for those teachers with families of their own. But ‘selfieing’ is no substitute for physical proximity of the family.
The ideal situation would be where the spouses are teaching at the same school and the children are around. Unfortunately, such cases are few and far between.
It is a matter of the heart that we are dealing with here. As a fact of life, the teachers will have to cope with it the best they can before retiring from service.
Their role in society is obviously vital. No country can progress educationally without teachers, at all levels of formal education. So we train them how to teach and build schools where they can work in comfort. But their human needs are not fully met. Teachers are entitled to have families too.
So find a solution to their problems, we must. We form teachers’ unions and parent-teacher associations because we want the teachers to be happy. When they are happy they can concentrate on their work of imparting knowledge to our children.
As for other needs of the teachers, we entrust this responsibility to the authorities – the education ministry (the policymakers), at the centre, the department in each state, and office at each district to implement that policy.
A headache that never goes away
The policymakers and implementers must be having endless headaches in finding solutions to the grievances of teachers who want to be transferred from one school to another in another region or district.
But teachers are not the only people who have to cope with the problem of physical separation with loved ones. The personnel of the armed forces and the police and the civil servants all have this problem of ‘duka lara’ too. But all recruits who join these services know what they are in for when they apply for the job.
The soldier is expected to fight in defence of the country and to die for it – leaving wife and family in the process; the police recruit is prepared to direct traffic in the sun and to keep law and order; the civil servant is expected to be away from his own hometown and spend time working in another far away. Their mission: service to community and country.
Why should teachers be specially favoured?
All must understand that in the course of respective duty they are liable to be transferred to places, not of their choice or preference but where the authorities think they would be usefully employed for the benefit of the community.
This exigency of service is important but overwhelmed with personal problems of teachers and other problems in policy implementation, the Ministry of Education is to be sympathised with rather than criticised.
Recently, the ministry approved requests by teachers for transfers – 2,261 out of 6,636 cases on duka lara grounds. It’s happiness for the lucky couples, but what about that of the other 4,375 applicants? Naturally, they are unhappy. They must wait for the next transfer exercise, hoping that their requests will be considered and approved this time around.
In the meantime, what can they do except to accept their ‘fate’ and carry on? Sulking? A sulking teacher cannot do his job well.
Any idea about solving this problem?
A long term solution to this human problem must be found. Physical separation of married teachers may end up as a breakup for what would otherwise be a happy marriage. If this happens, the outcome is not difficult to imagine.
Newlywed teachers, think
A newly-wed teacher will have to think deeply before accepting a job in the interior of Sarawak or Sabah where communication is a problem.
I’m sure that the education authorities have tried several ways by which to accommodate this need of the lovesick teachers – two-year sojourns for teachers at any particular school, incentive allowances, etc.
For Sarawak, we pin our hopes on the new state ministry of education to think out of the box to solve this teachers’ dilemma. Perhaps, there may be fresh ideas or proposed solutions that have not been tried out and will work in Sarawak. We shall see.
Optionally, thinking of leaving the job for which one is trained is not an ideal option. In certain circumstances, however, the teacher concerned has the final say – family first! But then, the community will be deprived of dedicated teachers.
Can’t win, can we?
Where there is love there is a way, the psychologists say. Some of them have worked out methods in dealing with physical distance in marriage and recommend a few – the lonely heart should create a support group among his/her friends at the school or outside it; develop new interests: outboard engine repairing, gardening, knitting, learning the local lingo or even writing, yes writing a column, why not? Or anything at all. The psychologists remind them that they must have enough sleep, food and regular exercise.
However, psychologists also remind us that there’s no substitute for close proximity between couples. Cardiologists have no prescription for the cure of a condition “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. They all prescribe “prevention is better than cure”.
What can the new state ministry do?
With the appointment of the new minister of education in the state, it is hoped that some fresh measures may be introduced to provide relief to the duka lara problem among teachers in Sarawak.
I’m not so sure if transfers of teachers in the state can be made without reference to or approval by the federal ministry of education. Some compromise may have to be worked out should there be a problem in this relationship.
Meanwhile, Cikgu, psychiatrists’ advice is to keep on promising to your spouse this: “Out of sight, may be; out of mind, never!”
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