Teachers cannot view school holidays as ‘holidays’

Just like any other civil servant, teachers are paid during school holidays, says Parent Action Group for Education (Page).

PETALING JAYA: Teachers who are under the impression that school holidays means time off for them are gravely mistaken, said the Parent Action Group for Education (Page).

Page chairman Noor Azimah Rahim said just like any other civil servant, teachers too had to work throughout the school holidays.

“If teachers want to take leave, they have to apply for leave. They have about 30 days of leave a year,” she told FMT.

Azimah said by right teachers should continue working even during school holidays as they were paid to do so.

However, she said principals of schools should ensure work was equally distributed so that no one teacher was overloaded with work, even during school holidays.

She said this when asked to comment about a tweet by one Abdullah Mohd Nawi who said his wife, a teacher had to return to school on the first week of school holidays and had been busy marking exam papers the rest of the time.

He explained that his wife had to mark the exam papers of four classes of 40 students each, on three subjects bringing the total to 480 test papers.

He said his wife took a total of 240 hours and added, “If she were to mark non-stop and not sleep, it would take her ten days. School holidays are 14 days.

“Minus the four-day weekend, she spent the entire school holidays marking exam papers.”

Abdullah said he had taken annual leave with the intention of enjoying a break with his wife and added, “Surely, there has to be a better way for teachers to have an actual break during the so-called school break?”

Azimah however said teachers who applied for leave during the school holidays had to make a formal request with the principal so that other arrangements can be made internally to cover for their absence.

“If the principal can be assured papers will be marked, (annual) leave should be approved.”

The second school term holidays started on May 25 and ended on June 12. -FMT