ALOR STAR: Kedah Sekolah Agama Rakyat Principals Association (PPSAR) has lauded the call to increase the quota of Islamic religious teachers placed under the state government payroll.
PPSAR secretary Mohamad Faiz Mohd Taib said the call was timely as many SAR schools in Kedah were in dire financial states due to unpaid school fees since the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak two years ago.
"PPSAR welcomes the call made by Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir at the state assembly meeting for the quota of SAR schools teachers appointed under the state Islamic Religious Department to be increased.
"This will help reduce the school administrators' burden by absorbing the teachers to permanent positions or at least to appointed as contract teachers under the department," he said in a statement.
Mohamad Faiz said PPSAR also lauded Mukhriz's call for all SAR principals to be placed under the state Islamic Religious Department so their welfare could be well taken care, in recognition of their hard work in ensuring their students were getting good education.
He added that PPSAR also agreed with Mukhriz's point that the implementation of the RM1,500 minimum wage announced by the Prime Minister, would be burdensome for SAR administrators, since they were not profit-oriented organisations.
Mohamad Faiz said mounting debts would force some of the SAR schools to cease operations, should the new minimum wage announced by the government be imposed on these schools.
"As such, PPSAR lauds calls to look into our plight as SAR schools are in critical financial situation.
"PPSAR is appealing to Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor and the entire state Exco to give due consideration to these proposals and to work together in finding ways to secure the future of SAR institutions," he said.