Maszlee: Transfers of teachers not frozen
KUALA LUMPUR: The transfer of teachers is not frozen and the Education Ministry is following existing standard operating procedures (SOPs) in processing their transfer applications.
Its minister, Dr Maszlee Malik, said the ministry received 5,573 applications for the transfer of teachers from Sabah and Sarawak to the Peninsular, and 873 applications from the Peninsular to the two states.
“We are using existing SOPs based on several criteria, such as interest of the service, vacancies and option requirements in the state being requested.
“The ministry gives priority to applications on the grounds of following a spouse. We also consider applications for cases of chronic illness and security threats,” he said in a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
He was responding to a question by Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid (Barisan Nasional-Padang Terap), who wanted to know whether the ministry had frozen applications from teachers from Sabah and Sarawak wanting to return to the Peninsular.
Maszlee said the lack of transfers from Sabah and Sarawak over the past few months was because the teachers requesting the transfers were teaching important exam classes this year
“Their applications will only be considered after the examination classes end this year.
“There are also transfer applications for teachers teaching critical subjects, namely Islamic Education. If these teachers are transferred, then we will not have enough teachers for these subjects in Sabah and Sarawak.”
To a supplementary question from Mahdzir, Maszlee said the ministry would continue with the PT Rintis project involving teacher’s assistants, introduced by the previous government.
He said they would enhance the programme.
“Based on our record, 412 teacher’s assistants’ contract ended in June,” he said, adding that they had been reappointed to serve until end of the year.
Maszlee said the ministry had set up a special committee to carry out a study to ease the burden of teachers and a proposal to create a “teacher’s assistant” to ease the workload of teachers in schools.
“The report of this committee will be submitted to the cabinet for consideration and approval.”