KUCHING: Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Dato Sri Michael Manyin has cautioned Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) Sarawak against making ‘misleading’ statements that can be misinterpreted by others.
Responding to a statement issued by Abim Sarawak secretary Mohammad Fazril Mohd Saleh – published in The Borneo Post yesterday – Manyin said he disagreed with the view as it was “incorrect and misleading in several aspects”.
Mohammad Fazril had said that Abim Sarawak was ‘surprised’ after Manyin stated that educators in the state were not given continuous courses to enhance their capability, during a workshop for educators here on Sunday, adding that as a ‘credible leader’, the minister needed to be more careful in issuing statements to avoid being misinterpreted.
“Unfortunately, Mohammad Fazril seems to be guilty of not abiding by the very advice that he has so generously dished out to me. There are several aspects of his statement that are incorrect and misleading.
“He stated that teachers in Malaysia are provided with sufficient In-Service Training of seven times a year. This is incorrect. It is not seven times a year, but only seven days of training a year.
“Attending seven days of training and attending training seven times a year can be very different. I hope Mohammad Fazril appreciates the difference,” said Manyin in a press statement issued yesterday.
He pointed out that despite educators having seven days of training per year, the period often includes informal programmes such as talks, discourses among colleagues, monthly assembly, paper presentation and others.
He said a substantial part of the period is also used for training teachers and officers on administrative responsibilities rather than focusing on enhancing their professional competencies.
“Furthermore, should we be happy with just seven days of training? Will it be sufficient to equip our teachers to meet the challenges that are increasingly more demanding? When we compare (ourselves) with other countries such as Singapore, South Korea, China and Hong Kong, we realise that our seven days is probably inadequate,” he said.
Manyin further said that all programmes developed by his ministry and implemented together with the state education department are derived through many labs, extensive engagement with multiple stakeholders and performance data analysis.
“They are not based on random observations or assumptions as claimed by Mohammad Fazril,” he stated.
“The statistics highlighted by Mohammad Fazril are national data and do not reflect the real situation in Sarawak.
“So when he mentioned 1,572 participants have gone through NPQL, he is referring to national figures. Similarly, the number of Sarawak headmasters who have attended the Residency Immersion Programme is only 268, which is only 21.2 per cent.”
Manyin said he welcomes direct engagement with Mohammad Fazril and Abim Sarawak as opposed to ‘having it out’ through the media, as his ministry needs the support and contribution of all parties.
“The task before us is very huge. We definitely welcome whatever input that Abim can provide.”