Teacher shortage in Sarawak being addressed, says Sagah

SERIAN: Sarawak will soon have enough teachers to address the ongoing shortage issue, said Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Datuk Seri Roland Sagah Wee Inn.

He assured that the state government is continuously engaging with the Federal Ministry of Education and the Education Commission on the recruitment of teachers.

“For primary schools alone, we have identified a shortage of over 1,000 teachers across the entire state.

“As for secondary schools, the shortage stands at over 200 teachers. We are working diligently to fill these vacancies as soon as possible.

“However, it is important to note that recruiting teachers is not a simple matter of just filling the positions with anyone. We must ensure that we have qualified, trained teachers in place,” said Sagah.

He told media this after officiating at the ground-breaking ceremony and project handover for the construction of Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) Serian Community Centre at its site today.

The Tarat assemblyman emphasised that the shortage is not limited to English teachers but involves various other subjects.

To address this, he said the state government has been conducting upgrading courses for English teachers in collaboration with teachers’ colleges.

Last month, Premier Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg highlighted the commitment of the Sarawak government, through the Education Ministry, to address the shortage of over 2,400 school teachers, primarily in primary schools.

“Primary schools face a significantly higher shortage of educators compared to secondary schools,” he was quoted as saying.

As such, Abang Johari assured that the state government would assist the Sarawak Education Department in resolving these issues, including the problem of dilapidated schools.

For record, the Sarawak Education Department has received 1,108 new teachers in 2023, consisting of graduates from public and private universities, with 422 assigned to primary schools and 686 to secondary schools.

However, Sagah pointed out that Sarawak still requires more teachers across various disciplines to fill the remaining vacancies.