Harapan urges caution in teacher's one-off recruitment

 

The Pakatan Harapan education committee has urged the government to consider implementing its one-off recruitment drive of 18,702 teachers in three phases, to ensure the quality of its new hires.

The committee comprising six MPs said the first phase of intake should comprise Education Diploma holders now serving as interim teachers in schools and awaiting confirmation.

This should be followed by the recruitment of some 16,000 graduates from teacher's training colleges and education faculties who have yet to secure a placement, it added.

Education Minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin in announcing the one-off recruitment drive last Sunday noted a mismatch between the number of graduates in certain subjects and available vacancies, leading to a need to widen the recruitment pool beyond the education field.

He said recruitment through the Public Service Department at Grade DG41 will be advertised beginning July for placement in schools by October.

The committee however said selection among non-education graduates should only be done in the third phase of recruitment.

The committee chaired by former education minister and Simpang Renggam MP Maszlee Malik also includes Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Tampin MP Hasan Bahrom, Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching, Sekijang MP Natrah Ismail, Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim, and Tangga Batu MP Rusnah Aluai.

Overall, it urged the government to prioritise the quality of its one-off intake by conducting face-to-face interviews.

At the same time, the committee raised concerns over the training of the new recruits reportedly to be undertaken by teacher's training colleges with limited resources due to a clash with ongoing classes.  - Mkini