Muhyiddin gives RM18m in ‘new deal’ to teachers

Muhyiddin: The new deal for principals is meant to help increase the quality of students by increasing the performance of the teachers.

JASIN, Feb 28 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has awarded a “new deal” worth RM18.4 million to school principals and teachers who have exceeded their performance beyond the targets set under the National Key Result Areas (NKRA), a move seen to get educationists on the Barisan Nasional (BN) side.

The Umno deputy president has been campaigning in the Merlimau by-election and took the opportunity today to announce the deal in his capacity as education minister.

A total of 586 school principals received RM7,500 each. Five per cent of teachers, from the same schools as these principals, will receive RM1,800 each for their performances while the rest of the teaching staff will get RM900 each.

“The new deal for principals is meant to help increase the quality of students by increasing the performance of the teachers,” the deputy prime minister said during a ceremony at Sekolah Menengah Tun Syed Zahiruddin in Merlimau today.

The new deal is part of RM2.492 billion allocated for schools and education departments throughout the country, in what is seen as a move to woo over civil servants and parents nationwide ahead of a general election expected to be called this year.

The RM2.492 billion in financial aid will be given to 16 state education departments (JPN) and seven education ministry divisions (KPM), which include the Islamic department as well as the Malaysian Teacher’s Education Institute.

The Sarawak state education department received the highest allocation of schooling funds this year amounting to RM394 million while the education department in Putrajaya received the lowest amount- RM2.6 million.

Besides that, the division in charge of boarding schools and school with “excellent” status received the highest amount of funds than any other division within the education ministry, totalling RM117 million.

It is understood that the purpose of the financial aid was to highlight the government’s sincere efforts in narrowing the gap between students in urban areas and rural areas, those who were poor and those who were well-off.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) as well as Barisan Nasional (BN) have been on intensive campaigns to woo various sections of society — especially young voters and civil servants — to vote, as speculation is rife that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will call for general election by the fourth quarter of this year. Sarawak state elections must be also held by the middle of the year.

PR has promised monetary incentives for teachers under its 100-days reform plan, stating that if it took over Putrajaya, it would stop wastages of federal funds and use the money to reward civil servants. - Malaysian Insider