Apply directly for temporary teachers, Wee tells schools

JOHOR BARU (Jan 2, 2012): Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr We Ka Siong says Chinese and Tamil primary schools can apply directly to state education departments for temporary teachers, China Press reported yesterday.

He said the ministry’s secretary-general has issued a directive to state education departments to handle such applications.

He urged headmasters of schools facing a shortage of teachers when school reopens to liaise with state education directors.

Wee disclosed this during a dialogue with Johor Baru Chinese school development committee and Johor Dong Lian (United Chinese schools Committee, an affiliate of Dong Zong) in Johor Baru on Sunday.

He also said the ministry’s human resource management division will dispatch graduate temporary teachers to fill vacancies in secondary schools facing a shortage of teachers.

He said these graduates can be called “interim teachers” as they will be sent to schools temporarily without being vetted first by the Malaysian Education Service Commission.
“These temporary teachers will be interviewed by the Malaysian Education Service Commission within three months,” he said.

He urged all school heads to maintain close contact with the school inspectorate.

He said some 2,000 temporary teachers are needed this year but is confident that the vacancies can be filled with the recruitment of graduate “interim” teachers, deployment of English language teachers and existing temporary teachers.

He expected the problem of teacher shortage to be resolved in one-and-a-half months.

Wee also disclosed that there were 13,184 untrained temporary teachers as at 2010.

Of the number, 1,799 were offered holiday teacher training courses the same year, and another 7,079 were offered teacher training courses last year.

He said at the last count, some 11,000 temporary teachers were being trained. The rest of the temporary teachers were not considered for training mainly because they did not furnish complete documents.

Meanwhile, Dong Zong (United Chinese School Committees Association) president Dr Yap Sin Tian urged Chinese school committees to take note whether their schools face any shortage of teachers.

He said during his recent meeting with Wee, he was made to understand that Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Johor are facing a shortage of some 1,200 teachers, and the ministry will fill the vacancies with temporary teachers.

Yap said schools still face a shortage of teachers when school reopens should alert the relevant authorities immediately.

>> Lack of takers for Chinese school head posts

DONG Zong says it wants to meet Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong on the lack of takers for Chinese primary school head posts in Sarawak.

According to Chinese press reports, 10 Chinese primary schools in the state will be without a headmaster when school reopens.

“This situation will not happen in Peninsular Malaysia. But in Sarawak, it is not uncommon for some rural Chinese primary schools to not have a headmaster,” said Dong Zong deputy president Zhou Sou Han.

“Dong Zong will get more details from the Sarawak Dong Lian,” he told China Press, when asked to comment on the press reports.

Zhou said the Education Ministry is responsible for the appointment of school heads, and it is incumbent on the ministry to resolve the problems faced by these Sarawak schools.

He said the recurring problem of Sarawak rural Chinese primary schools not having headmasters has to do with the location of these schools.

He said due to the remoteness of these schools, many suitable candidates are reluctant to be posted there.

He said Dong Zong wants to meet Wee on this issue. –TheSunDaily.my