Dayak PhD association supports Premier’s call on special teachers recruitment drive for Sarawak

KUCHING (Oct 10): The Kuching Dayak Doctorate Degree Holders Association has joined fellow Sarawakians to express disappointment with the Education Service Commission (SPP) to include 300 candidates from Peninsular Malaysia in the special teachers recruitment drive.

The association secretary Dr Ambrose Dango in a statement today said the special teachers recruitment drive was ‘special’ as it was specifically for Sarawakian teacher hopefuls.

As such, he echoed the sentiment by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari earlier this week saying that it was not being ‘anti-Malaya’.

“We agree that the statement (Abang Johari’s) is not biased nor regionalistic but reflects the need to provide first opportunities to Sarawakians who understand the local environment better in discharging their duties in moulding the future generations of Malaysians of Sarawak descent,” said Ambrose.

On Tuesday, Abang Johari said the Sarawak government is not being ‘anti-Malaya’ or ‘anti-Semenanjung’ in its request to have all the available teacher vacancies in the state to be filled up by Sarawakians.

He said what he did not want to see was the scenario where non-Sarawakian applicants, having been accepted to serve in Sarawak, would later choose to be transferred out after a few years.

The Sarawak Bumiputera Teachers Union (KGBS) on Wednesday said the SPP has included around 300 teaching candidates from Peninsular Malaysia in the special teacher recruitment drive possibly for Islamic religious teachers in Sarawak.

Its president, Zulkiflee Sebli, said he was informed of this matter, and such reasoning could be considered.

“KGBS could consider the reason when SPP took in 300 teaching candidates to meet certain demands.

“We were informed this is due to the lack of qualified local candidates applying for certain options, including the Islamic religious subject. So this prompted the SPP to take in candidates from Peninsular Malaysia,” he said.