STU: Improper to open special teachers recruitment drive for non-S’wakians

KUCHING (Oct 9): The Sarawak Teachers Union (STU) regards the Education Service Commission (SPP)’s decision to open the special teacher recruitment drive for Sarawak to applicants nationwide as ‘inappropriate’.

STU president Kullin Djayang said the union was deeply disappointed with such decision.

“SPP should respect Sarawak in this special recruitment by retracting all candidates from other states and ensuring that only local (Sarawakian) candidates are considered.

“We also urge the Ministry of Education (MoE) to advise the SPP, as this is the first serious initiative by Sarawak to address the critical teacher shortage in the state,” he told Utusan Borneo yesterday.

Kullin also hopedthat all leaders and organisations in Sarawak would also voice this concern to the SPP.

Adding on, he said STU hoped that the Ministry of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development (MEITD) would not give up and continue to work towards filling the teacher vacancies in Sarawak, with the STU offering full support for such efforts.

“We are certainly affected by SPP’s announcement that the special recruitment of teachers for Sarawak will also include candidates from other states.

“All Sarawakians have high hopes for MEITD’s effort to recruit 1,000 local teachers. In fact, it was announced that this number has been increased to 2,180 candidates to meet the required number of teachers to fill the vacancies in Sarawak,” he said.

Kullin stated that while STU was unaware of the agreement between MEITD and SPP, the union was nonetheless disappointed as the plan to address this issue was nearing completion.

“We emphasise that as long as teachers are recruited from other states, the teacher shortage in Sarawak will never be fully resolved. This is because, after a few years, teachers from other states tend to return to their home states, leading to recurring vacancies.

“It’s not that we refuse teachers from other states, but this recruitment was specifically intended for Sarawakians since the state is facing the most critical teacher shortage. Moreover, we want the 90:10 ratio policy for Sarawak teachers to be upheld,” he explained.

Kullin hopes that MEITD would not give up and continue to make efforts to fill the teacher vacancies in Sarawak, with STU giving its full support to such initiatives.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn voiced his disappointment over the decision by SPP to open the application to candidates nationwide

He believed that the initiative should have been reserved for Sarawakians.

“Of course, the power lies in their hands, and the authority rests with SPP. We have no control over this, but I feel they have not kept their promise,” he said at a press conference in Sibu on Monday.