KUCHING, June 10 – More quota must be provided for teacher recruitment, especially for Sarawak, to better address the shortage of teachers in the state, said Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (Dapsy) chief Dr Kelvin Yii.

The Bandar Kuching MP made this call to the Ministry of Education (MoE) yesterday in light of the recent news report that some 200 aspiring teachers were dismayed at their unsuccessful applications during a recruitment drive in November last year due to a lack of quota for Sarawakians.

“I find such ‘quota reasoning’ unacceptable especially when there is a clear lack of teachers in Sarawak on top of the need to increase more local teachers in Sarawak,” he said in a statement.

Based on recent reports, Dr Yii said Sarawak was short of 1,840 primary school teachers and 1,545 secondary school teachers.

He said this begged the question: Why is there this quota in the first place if it hinders the issue (of shortage of teachers) being addressed?

“If there are vacancies or placements in Sarawak, Sarawakians must be given priority especially if these Sarawakians meet the minimum MoE’s terms and conditions of service.

“That is why we are not asking for any compromise on the quality of the candidates, but for the quota to be relaxed to address the dire shortage of teachers for the sake of the school-going children in Sarawak,” he said.

Dr Yii stressed that local teachers should be prioritised as they understand the local culture and sentiments better.

He said in most cases, they serve longer in Sarawak and are most willing to work in rural areas especially remote interior villages, unlike teachers posted from other states who will likely request for transfer after a while.

“That is why any quota-based rationale or excuses to sideline Sarawakians is purely discriminatory, bias and lack of sensitivity,” he lamented.

As such, he urged the ministry to seriously prioritise Sarawakians who had gone through all Contract of Service 2021 teacher recruitment procedures and meet all necessary criteria for immediate placement to address teacher shortage in Sarawak.

He added: “We do not want our children to suffer and be left behind in their education just because there are insufficient teachers to educate and provide a quality learning environment for them.” – Borneo Post