“Sacrificing quality for policy speed”: 20,000 contract teachers but at what cost, asks MCA

 

AN MCA leader has expressed concern over the recent decision by the Education Ministry (MOE) to recruit 20,000 DG9 new Grade DG9 Education Service Officers on a contract of service basis to meet the demand for teachers in schools nationwide.

In a strongly worded statement, its Youth wing’s consultative committee chairman Ong Chee Siang said the move raies a serious question of whether the MOE has shifted from nurturing education professionalism to merely trying to “make up numbers”.

“When academic entry requirements are abruptly lowered to a CGPA of 2.50, what is sacrificed is not just a statistic, but the quality of education for an entire generation of children.,” Ong stressed.

“Education is not a temporary project, nor a numbers exercise. Students are not experimental subjects for rushed policies, and certainly not guinea pigs for trial and error.”

On Saturday (Jan 31) the Education Ministry said this initiative is part of its early preparations for implementing the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2026‒2035 and introducing the voluntary Standard One enrolment for six-year-old children starting next year.

Ong further noted that for more than a decade, Malaysia’s education system has consistently emphasised the professionalisation of primary school teachers through degree-level qualifications (DG41).

This was meant to ensure teachers possess sufficient academic depth, professional judgement and competence in child education.

“Yet today, the MOE appears to be moving in the opposite direction by recruiting DG9-level contract teachers. Within the civil service, this grade is generally executory or auxiliary in nature,” he lamented.

“The MOE must answer to the public: when the nation has long committed to the principle that teachers must be professionals, why are lower-grade, lower-threshold contract teachers now being placed in classrooms? Is this education reform, or educational regression?”

“If the government itself no longer upholds professional standards, on what basis can it expect society to continue respecting the teaching profession?”

Ong went on to point out that lowering recruitment standards is effectively treating the educational future of six-year-old children as an experiment.

“When we select doctors, engineers or accountants, we demand the best talent. Why then, when it comes to teachers who are responsible for shaping children’s character, thinking and judgement—are we suddenly satisfied with ‘just passing’?,” he questioned.

“This is not only irresponsible towards parents, but also poses serious risks to children’s learning foundations and personal development.

“Six-year-old children require more professional support, not ‘quick-fix’ solutions. Early entry into primary school means classrooms will include younger, more vulnerable students who need greater patience, expertise and professional guidance.”

Ong reiterated the children’s need for teachers who have undergone comprehensive PISMP training and who understand child psychology and pedagogy, rather than contract staff given brief crash courses before being sent into classrooms.

“Our Committee cautions that stopgap recruitment policies will only create deeper problems in the future, including wider learning gaps, worsening discipline issues, and a gradual erosion of parents’ trust in the public education system,” he said.

“We therefore urge the MOE to immediately review this recruitment approach and abandon any attempt to compensate for policy weaknesses by simply increasing headcount.

“20,000 new teachers should strengthen our education system, not become a milestone marking the decline of education quality in Malaysia.” ‒ Focus Malaysia