Closure of IPGs against wish of local people — PKR

KUCHING: Sarawakians are horrified and filled with a strong sense of betrayal by the decision of the federal government to proceed with the closure of two teachers training institutes (IPGs) in Sarawak, namely IPG Rajang and IPG Miri, said state PKR vice chairman Boniface Willy Tumek.

Boniface, who is also PKR Mas Gading branch chairman, also said that Sarawakians were further scandalised by the apparent inability of the state government to stop the federal government from closing down these two IPGs and turning the facilities into centres for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) despite earlier talks of using the much publicised devolution of power initiatives to address the issue.

“The Ministry of Education has not been very forthcoming with the reasons and rationale that led to the decision to close the two IPGs.

“The decision certainly made the recently created state ministry of education, science and technology research look to be ineffective and maybe even irrelevant,” he said in a press statement yesterday.

Boniface said it is common knowledge that public schools in Sarawak have for a long time been plagued by the excessive requests for transfer from teachers originating from Peninsular Malaysia.

“The issue of the requests for transfer and the lack of local teachers to mitigate the problem had been highlighted many times over several years. Consequent to that the 90:10 ratio of local teachers was mooted.

“In May 2016, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak confirmed that the Education Ministry was working on the 90:10 ratio and that the ratio is targeted to be achieved by 2018.”

Boniface said despite the assurances that the 90:10 ratio in Sarawak was still on track to be achieved, there were now serious doubts that it could be achieved by 2018 or any other time in the future.

“The 90:10 ratio initiative now looks to be futile as very clearly it has suffered a double blow, the bigger being the lack of qualified Sarawakians to be trained as teachers. This was admitted by no less than Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing, who also is the chairman of the State Cabinet Council on Rural Schools.”

In noting that the state PKR is deeply disappointed by these developments and revelations, Boniface strongly urged the Sarawak government to give real meaning to the phrase ‘taking matters into our own hands’ by addressing the problem at its root: that the education system in Sarawak is not producing enough students with the level of quality that is needed to propel the state further into the 21st century.

“It is not as if the Sarawak government was not aware of the problems as the signs were clearly visible for quite some time. For years Sarawak schools have languished in position Number 13 among all states in terms of public examination results.”

He also said that talks about propelling Sarawak into the digital economy and preparing Sarawakians for jobs of the future now look increasingly hollow as the system cannot even produce enough students who are qualified enough to be trained as teachers.

“The state Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Research must not just keep a watching brief for the Sarawak government but must have the full power to decide on the direction of education in the state and to act on it. It is therefore imperative for the Sarawak government to really take matters into their own hand and for a start, demand for full autonomy over education in Sarawak.”