KUCHING: The Sarawak Government supports the latest move by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to open opportunities for non-education graduates to join the teaching profession in an effort to tackle the shortage of educators nationwide.

Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn stated that the initiative is seen as a proactive step and hopes more similar approaches will be implemented to ensure an adequate supply of teachers, particularly in Sarawak.

“We will see. This is especially under the Education Service Commission (SPP), as they are the ones who will conduct the screening. The policy comes from the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE), and the SPP will handle the vetting process.

“They will assess how many apply later, in addition to those who are graduates from Teacher Training Institutes.

“There are also many graduates from private universities who have taken relevant courses but sometimes lack a professional diploma in education,” he said when met by reporters after the Ibu Pertiwi flag-raising ceremony at Dataran Ibu Pertiwi on Sunday.

Dato Sri Roland Sagah added that the actual requirement for teachers in the state will be determined by the Sarawak State Education Department based on current vacancies due to retirements, resignations, and transfers.

Recently, the MOE announced that a total of 20,000 new Grade DG9 Education Service Officers will be recruited on a Contract of Service (CoS) basis to meet nationwide requirements.

This recruitment is part of the early preparations for the implementation of the Malaysia Education Plan (RPM) 2026–2035, as well as the voluntary enrolment of six-year-old pupils into Year 1 starting next year.

The recruitment announcement is scheduled for 23 February, while applications will be open from 2 to 20 March. The interview screening process will be conducted from 27 April to 14 May in full cooperation with the SPP.

To ensure that teacher competency is maintained, successful candidates will undergo professional training at the MOE’s Teacher Education Institutes (IPG) according to their respective areas of specialisation. - UKASnews

Prepared by: Nur Nabilla
Photo: Ramzani
Translator: Ryan Lim