KUALA LUMPUR: MCA has urged the Education Ministry to help 136 Chinese language teachers to be posted to suitable schools in line with their training.
Deputy president Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said the teachers were specially trained at the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris to teach SPM-level Mandarin in secondary schools.
However, 51 of them were instead posted to boarding schools, vocational schools and colleges to teach basic Chinese.
“I must stress that MCA supports any initiative by the Government to teach Chinese communication as it is a noble effort.
“However, if the teachers were trained to educate SPM students in the subject, then they should be sent to secondary schools as intended,” he told reporters at Wisma MCA here.
Dr Wee said the 51 teachers who were asked to go to vocational colleges and boarding schools were to report for duty on July 1.
He said the 85 other teachers have yet to know their posting but wish to serve in secondary schools.
“We urge the ministry to help the teachers by posting them to secondary schools and allowing more time to iron out the issue,” he said, adding that he will be meeting with ministry officials to find a solution.
“This is an important matter to the Chinese community as a lot of us send our children to Government secondary schools,” he added.
Dr Wee pointed out that there was a current shortage of Chinese language teachers in national-type secondary schools (SMJK) and national secondary schools (SMK).
He said almost 90% of students from Chinese national-type primary schools (SJKC) were also likely to further studies in SMJK and SMK, adding to the need for Chinese language teachers.
Dr Wee said the standard of the country’s SPM-level Chinese subject was high and recognised by universities in China.
“Such quality of the Chinese language subject here should be maintained,” he said.
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