Freeze the training of teachers, Rafizi urges Unitar

Freeze the teacher training programmes of private institutions of higher learning until the issue of 7,000 unemployed trainee teachers from these institutions is resolved by the government, PKR says.

This has to be done because the government has not shown any move to resolve the problem of jobless trainee teachers, PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli said today.

Rafizi said Deputy Education Minister Puad Zarkashi and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin have been issuing conflicting statements on the problem.

The majority of the graduate teachers came from Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (Unitar), which is managed by Yayasan Pintar.

Yayasan Pintar is chaired by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, with Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein being among its officials.

Others are Umno supreme council members Mustapa Mohamed, who is also a minister, and Mohd Ali Rustam.

"By taking a teacher's course in private institutions, the students expect to be assured of a job. However, this is not the case. The unemployed graduates have complained to Umno, which has failed to resolve this, and they are now coming to us.

"They have to pay their PTPTN loans of between RM20,000 and RM30,0000 but are jobless. There is no proper co-ordination by the Higher Education Ministry and the Education Ministry in resolving this issue," emphasised Rafizi.

[More to follow]