Minister: Teachers' transfer requests not frozen

PARLIAMENT | The Ministry of Education has not frozen the transfer of teachers and is still using the existing standard operating procedures (SOPs) in processing the transfer applications.

Education Minister Maszlee Malik said the ministry received 5,573 applications for transfer of teachers from Sabah and Sarawak to the Peninsular while there were 873 applications from the Peninsular to the states.

"We are still using the existing SOPs based on several criteria such as interest of the service, vacancies and option requirements in the state being requested.

"The ministry also gives priority to transfer applications on the grounds of following a partner and we also consider applications for other cases such as chronic illness and security threats," he said in a question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.

Maszlee was responding to a question by Mahdzir Khalid (BN-Padang Terap) who wanted to know whether the ministry had frozen applications from teachers from Sabah and Sarawak wanting to return to Peninsular Malaysia.

Maszlee said the lack of transfers from Sabah and Sarawak over the past few months was because the teachers requesting transfers were those teaching important exam classes this year

"Their applications will only be considered after the examination classes end this year and there is also transfer applications for teachers teaching critical subjects, namely Islamic Education.

"If these teachers are transferred, then we will lack teachers for these subjects in Sabah and Sarawak," he said.

In the meantime, Maszlee said the ministry had also set up a special committee to carry out a study to ease the burden of teachers and a proposal to create a Teacher's Assistant to ease the workload of teachers in schools.

"The report of this committee will be submitted to the cabinet for consideration and approval," he said.

- Bernama