STU not in favour of combined classes for primary schools

SIBU: Sarawak Teachers Union ( STU) is not in favour of the proposal to combine classes in primary schools where two grades are merged to be taught by one teacher.

STU president Jisin Nyud hopes that the Education Ministry would run a thorough research on the feasibility of such proposal.

He adds that if the ministry is trying to address the shortage of teachers, then the teachers training institutions ( IPGs) should not have been closed, and more trainee teachers could be recruited instead.

Jisin was asked on Deputy Education Minister Datuk Chong Sin Woon’s recent statement that combining classes in primary schools with fewer than 30 pupils was among the measures to be implemented by the ministry in addressing the shortage of teachers nationwide.

According to Chong, the move would affect national as well as Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools.

He also reportedly said Primary 1 and 3 would be merged, while Primary 4 and 5 would become one.

Jisinadded: “Mostteachers have responded negatively and prefer not to teach combined classes, as it would not be easy handling children of different age groups, abilities and behaviours.

“Moreover, the teachers are not trained to teach combined classes and the outcome could be worse.”

On Wednesday, Association of United Chinese Primary Aided School Boards of Management Sibu and Kapit Divisions again urged the Ministry of Education to reconsider the plan to implement ‘Combined Class Policy’ for under- enrolled schools ( SKM) in the state.

Board chairman Dato Tie Chee Ping said the implementation of this policy would be inappropriate as it would affect the performance of the schools.

One of the reasons would the increase in the workload for teachers who would have to teach two grades in one period of lesson. Pupils would lose out too as the teacher would have less time to focus on one grade.

“We held a meeting with the parent-teacher association of SKM on Dec 30 last year and resolved to objecting to the policy,” Tie told a press conference here.