Lok Sabha: Teacher vacancy in Sarawak reaches 98.84 percent

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13: Teacher recruitment rate in Sarawak reaches 98.84 per cent overall, with secondary schools registering 98.61 per cent and primary schools recording 98.98 per cent.

However, Deputy Minister of Education Wong Kah Woh said that the state still has 500 teacher vacancies, involving 224 posts in secondary schools and 276 in primary schools.

"The gap in secondary school includes design and technology subjects as well as science. For elementary schools, it involves subjects such as mathematics, music and guidance and counseling.

"This is a subject that records the highest teacher vacancy", he said in the Lok Sabha.

He responded to a question by Ahmad Johnie Zawawi (GPS-Igan) asking the government to indicate the number of reserve teacher candidates among Sarawak children who are still awaiting appointment offers and vacancies in the state according to the option.

Commenting further, he said that to address the gap, the Ministry of Education (MoE) is investigating the adequacy of the academic qualifications of reserve teachers candidates to match other options which still have a vacancy.

Wong said KPM also requested the Education Services Commission (SPP) to appoint 317 more aspiring teachers in 2025, following an application submitted last September.

"KPM also requested an extension of the validity period for reserve teachers candidates which will end on December 14 this year, however the decision regarding the matter is subject to SPP", he said.

Earlier, Wong said that out of 4,417 reserve teacher candidates for 2025, 3,537 have been offered appointments as of September 30, while 880 others are yet to be appointed.

He said that out of the total, 114 Sarawak candidates have been appointed and deployed.