Give priority to unemployed teaching graduates in recruitment drive, Education Ministry told

SIBU: The Education Ministry should give priority in its recruitment drive to those who have graduated in the teaching field but remain unemployed, urge Sibu's Kenyah Uma Baha Women's Association.

Its chairperson Umie Liau said there are many Sarawakians who, after graduating from the teaching field, are still unemployed.

"Many of my friends revealed that their children, who graduated in teaching in 2019 from local institutions like Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), are still unemployed until today, and their children were not even called for an interview," she said in a statement on Thursday (June 24).

She said a number of these jobless graduates were from Belaga where her longhouse, Uma Baha, is located in the Bakun Resettlement Scheme Sg Asap, Apau Koyan.

According to Umie, these youths had purposely chosen the education field for their degree course but ended up staying at home with no teaching post offered to them.

"I really feel sorry for these Sarawakians, especially since many of them are from the Belaga district, the same place where I come from.

"Truly, they need employment. It's time for them to support their ageing parents financially. They purposely chose the education field for their degree course. Why is the government not giving them a teaching job?" she asked.

She feared that if such a trend continues, younger Sarawakians will not be motivated to take up teaching courses in the future.

Umie also called on state Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Datuk Amar Michael Manyin to find out how many of the new 18,702 graduate teachers (Grade DG 41) post, will be given to Sarawak.

"Please do find out the actual figure and demand from the Federal Government that Sarawakians want that particular shortage figure filled up by all the graduates who are still unemployed, of course by giving priority to those graduates in the education field," she said.

Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin had, on June 22, said as the country is lacking school teachers, the government is going to specially recruit 18,702 graduate teachers (Grade DG41) on a one-off basis to meet the shortage.

He further mentioned that the posting of these teachers will take place in stages with effect from October 2021.