KUALA LUMPUR: Over 9,000 new teachers will begin service in schools nationwide for the January 2024 school term session, said Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying.
She said the Education Ministry (MoE) will always strive to ensure the number of teachers is increased based on the needs of schools after the issue of teacher shortage was also identified as the cause of increased workload for existing teachers.
"We have received the number of new teacher positions from SPP (Education Service Commission) and they will report for duty early next year.
"The most significant shortage of teachers is for subjects like Bahasa Melayu, English, Islamic Studies and Design and Technology (RBT). The MoE always strives to ensure the number of teachers is increased from time to time," she said during the question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today (November 23).
She was replying to a supplementary question from Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari (PH-Sungai Petani) as to whether the issue of teacher shortage, including the fact that many teachers are retiring earlier, resulted in an increased workload for existing teachers.
In reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Ahmad Marzuk Shaary (PN-Pengkalan Chepa) regarding the welfare and infrastructure facilities for teachers in rural areas in view of the case of a school headmaster in Sabah having to live in the school storeroom, Hui Ying said the ministry is taking action.
"Follow-up action is being carried out to identify the cause of the incident and we will manage every issue as best possible," she said.
Meanwhile, during the same session, Hui Ying said the MoE also welcomed the Putrajaya Court of Appeal's ruling that the use of Mandarin and Tamil languages as the medium of instruction for teaching in those schools is constitutional.
The three-man panel, headed by Justice Datuk Supang Lian, unanimously delivered the decision after dismissing the appeals brought by four non-governmental organisations (NGOs), namely the Islamic Education Development Council (Mappim), the Confederation of Malaysian Writers Association (Gapena), Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) and Ikatan Guru-Guru Muslim Malaysia (I-Guru). — BERNAMA