Manyin: Teacher shortage in aided Chinese schools part of overall issue statewide

File photo shows a teacher explaining a topic to pupils SJK Kai Nang in SIbu.

KUCHING (July 21): The shortage of teachers in government-aided Chinese-medium primary schools is part of an overall shortage across Sarawak, said Datuk Amar Michael Manyin Jawong.

The Education, Science and Technological Research Minister said his ministry had already highlighted the issue recently.

“It isn’t confined to Chinese schools only. We have a shortage of more than 3,000 teachers throughout Sarawak, (in) secondary and primary schools,” he said when contacted today.

Manyin said his ministry had already proposed detailed solutions to the Ministry of Education (MoE).

“The details are all there, which include Chinese schools, and proposed solutions are also detailed in our explanations.

“What we need is (for) the authority to execute the proposals from MoE, but up to now, MoE has not responded either positively or otherwise to our proposals,” he said.

Manyin was responding to news reports that a 2021 Sarawak United Association of Chinese Primary School Boards of Management survey found government-aided Chinese-medium primary schools in Sarawak were short of 161 teachers.

Association secretary-general Jonathan Chai said the survey revealed these schools were particularly short of teachers for English and Bahasa Malaysia.

He had urged the MoE to take the teacher shortage seriously and fill up the vacancies in the shortest possible time.

Earlier this month, Manyin had disclosed that as of April this year, Sarawak faced a shortage of 3,385 teachers – 1,545 in secondary schools and 1,840 in primary schools.

He said to address this issue, his ministry is working closely with the Sarawak State Education Department (JPNS) to engage with Teacher Training Institutes (IPGs) in the state to come up with a proposal of employing interested graduates as temporary teachers.

Potential candidates would need to go through a qualifying psychometric test and interview conducted by JPNS and IPGs.

Those selected would undergo six months of practical teaching in schools, during which they would be assessed by IPG lecturers and the schools.

Those who are found to be suitable, really interested in teaching, passionate, committed, and with the correct aptitude would be recommended for a Diploma in Education at an IPG for a year and a half on a part-time basis while teaching.

This would qualify them to be appointed as DG41 trained teachers in secondary and primary schools, to resolve the shortage of teachers throughout Sarawak within the next three years.

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