Constant policy changes, admin work forcing teachers to quit early

 

The National Union of the Teaching Profession says there is a ‘worrying’ trend of teachers seeking early retirement.

PETALING JAYA: Constant policy changes and an increasing amount of administrative work have left teachers “frustrated” and “fed up”, with some admitting that this has led to many applying for early retirement.

Speaking to FMT on condition of anonymity, a trio of public school teachers also said that a lack of consultation and the incessant demands by superiors were among the other reasons some teachers were considering calling it a day.

A teacher from Ipoh who wished to be known as Sally said several of her colleagues had resigned as they were “sick of” the current system, lamenting their loss as they had decades of experience.

“A number of my colleagues have opted out, and I am thinking about it as well,” she said.

“Sometimes, there are different directives from the education ministry and district education department. They should have made up their minds from the beginning, but they don’t care (about the teachers).

“We have no choice but to accommodate last-minute decisions. Sometimes, we are expected to follow late-night directives, which are then changed or reversed a few days later.”

Sally said these included last-minute changes in timetables.

Another teacher from Selayang agreed that the numerous changes in timetables and syllabus had left teachers feeling “frustrated”.

“They (school authorities) do as they like without caring about how it affects the teachers, and they don’t know what works best on the ground,” said the secondary school teacher who wanted to be known as Mohamad.

“A lot of time is wasted by keying in data and doing administrative work.”

Although Mohamad said he was not thinking about early retirement just yet, he understood why many teachers had chosen to do so because of the demands they were struggling to cope with.

Another teacher, Faizul said although he was focused on remaining in the service until he received his pension, conversations about early retirement were increasingly common among his more senior colleagues.

He said the reasons cited included having to handle administrative tasks, the constant changing of the school syllabus, and a system in which education officers “prioritise KPIs instead of offering support to teachers”.

“Administrative work is more challenging than teaching. Even though our backlog has not been cleared, we’re piled up with more work. Our stress is also compounded by some demanding parents,” he said.

The trio were commenting on a statement by National Union of the Teaching Profession secretary-general Wang Heng Suan that a “worrying” number of teachers were opting for early retirement.

Wang estimated that more than 10,000 teachers had been submitting their papers annually for early retirement over the last few years. - FMT