KUCHING: A six-month wait for the outcome of interviews to serve as government-salaried contract teachers has ended on a disappointing note for many candidates from Sarawak.
It was widely expected that the issue of teacher shortage in Sarawak all this while would be resolved with the inclusion of such teachers.
Henry Sait Viniface Sudok, 28, who represented the latest Sarawakian batch of unsuccessful candidates said it was disappointing.
“A group of Sarawak candidates had sent an official letter applying for a special quota for Sarawak children to the Sarawak Education Director, Sarawak Education Minister and his deputies, as there is still a shortage of teachers in Sarawak,” he told Suara Sarawak.
A representative of the Sarawak Minister of Education, State Education Department (JPNS) and the Sarawak Education Services Commission (SPP) held a meeting to discuss the issue of teacher shortage in Sarawak on May 26 2022.
But he said the results of the PPP DG41 COS (contract service) intake which came out on May 28, revealed that many candidates from Sarawak had failed.
“Not because they were incompetent but the quota was limited.
“Candidates said that they had gone through all teacher recruitment procedures and were eligible to report immediately to fill the teacher shortage.
“Even Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Technology Research Dr Annuar Rapaee contacted JPNS to discuss this matter,” he explained.
Many of the Sarawak candidates have experience as Substitute Teachers, Untrained Reserve Teachers (GSTT), and MySTEP Teachers in government schools, he said.
“Besides there were also candidates who had been contract teachers in government schools who were paid using funds from the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA).
“This includes candidates who have teaching experience in private institutions, private schools, tuition centres, early childhood development centres, Mind Development Centres as well as Community Rehabilitation Centres (PPDK),” he said.
“I have high hopes that the Sarawak government, State Education Department and SPP Sarawak will accept Sarawak-born children who have gone through all the COS 2021 teacher recruitment procedures to be hired immediately to fill the shortage of teachers in Sarawak,” he added.
