Teaching posts: Sagah puts concerns to rest

SIBU: The government expects to recruit around 1,000 teachers from an earlier batch of interviews held with those eligible for teaching positions in the state.

Those interviewed include education diploma holders, said Minister for Education, Innovation, and Talent Development Datuk Seri Roland Sagah.

“Rest assured, those eligible for teaching positions and holding a diploma in education have been interviewed,” he said during a site visit to Yayasan Sarawak International Secondary School (YSISS) on Monday (Aug 26).

“In fact, the interviews were completed in early August.”

Sagah’s statement clarified concerns about competition between education graduates and non-education graduates, assuring that both groups will have opportunities to address teacher shortages in Sarawak under its special recruitment drive.

He added that Sarawak is facing a shortage of over 2,000 teachers, with the greatest demand in English, Mathematics, and Early Childhood Education.

“In the second batch of the special recruitment, we expect to hire over 1,000 temporary teachers,” he added.

He said that the special recruitment drive, which ran from Aug 1 to Aug 23, received approximately 15,000 applications.

The programme is open to graduates with bachelor’s degrees in education, as well as those with non-education degrees.

Successful applicants will be offered a two-year contract and will be required to attend a teaching diploma course at their own expense, conducted through the ‘Kursus Dalam Cuti’ (holiday training course) at a Teacher Education Institute.

Upon completing the teaching diploma, candidates will be considered for permanent teaching positions, pending final approval by the Public Services Commission (SPA).

Also present were Sagah’s deputy Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee and Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Permanent Secretary Adana Jed.