Train more S’wakians pow-wow

by Samuel Aubrey
April 30, 2010, Friday

Solving teacher shortage in state’s rural schools hinges on ongoing roundtable with KL
KOTA SAMARAHAN: Housing and Urban Development Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said the state government is still negotiating with its federal counterparts to take in more Sarawakians to be trained as teachers.

RARING TO GO: The new teachers rejoice at the end of the convocation ceremony at IPG Tun Abdul Razak campus, Samarahan.

He said if the negotiation was successful it could be the answer to getting teachers to willingly serve in the state’s rural schools, most of which did not have enough teachers because of the reluctance of those posted from Semenanjung Malaysia to serve for long in these schools.
He said Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datin Fatimah Abdullah had been tasked to negotiate with the Education Ministry for more Sarawakians to be enrolled in teachers’ education institutes or IPG campuses in the state.
Abang Johari said he was optimistic that a favourable decision could be reached soon given that the ministry’s rector-in-charge of IPGs is Sarawak-born Datuk Dr Haili Dolhan.
He said having more Sarawakians to be trained as teachers would mean that the state’s rural school would not have to continually face the problem of Semenanjung teachers asking to be posted out every so often because they could not cope with the local culture and condition.


On the other hand, he said, Sarawakians would not need to make major adjustments in life if they must serve in places like Marudi or Kapit.
In fact, he said, it was very common among Sarawakians made to serve in places far away from their original homes, to settle down permanently in places they were posted to.
“Our objective is to have many more Sarawakians as trained teachers so that those teachers from Peninsular Malaysia can go back and serve their own communities where they are more contented,” he told reporters after officiating at the 11th Convocation of IPG Tun Abdul Razak campus, Samarahan here yesterday.
He was commenting on the high frequency of teachers requesting to be transferred out of rural schools in Sarawak after two or three years, as well as their general reluctance to be posted there.
According to him, it is quite natural for those coming from the peninsula, who were posted to interior places like Kapit and Kanowit, to ask to be transferred back to their hometowns.
He said most asked to return to their home states after serving for two or three years, some to be with their families who had stayed behind.
He said their transfer back meant continuity was impossible, “which is why we want the consideration to be given (by the federal government) to have more Sarawakians in our IPG campuses”.
He said the Education Minister Tan Sri Muhiyiddin Yasssin, who is also deputy prime minister, was seriously looking into improving the physical infrastructure of schools in the state, and even visited a school in Baram known to be inundated by flood waters up to 18 times a year.
Meanwhile, Dr Haili who was also present for the convocation said the increased allowance for teachers posted to rural areas had also seen a decline in teachers requesting to be transferred out.
“It seemed to be working (to discourage them from requesting to be transferred),” he said, adding the maximum allowance was RM1,500 per month.
A total of 320 teachers received their diplomas at yesterday’s convocation.
They comprised those who took the Post-Graduate Teachers Course (KPLI) in various subjects and also special education for the handicapped.
There were also 20 students who completed the Community Development Department (Kemas)-sponsored diploma course for pre-school education.
Abang Johari, in his speech, called on the graduates to have the courage to accept posting to work in the state’s rural and interior areas.
“The teaching profession is about passion. It cannot be because it is the choice of someone else, or otherwise you live the life of someone else and that can be disastrous,” he said.
IPG Tun Abdul Razak campus, Samarahan, formerly known as Samarahan Teachers College and Tun Abdul Razak Teachers Institute, was established in 1999.

source:http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=27206