PASIR GUDANG: Many teachers are supportive of the plight of outspoken mathematics teacher Mohd Fadli Mohamed Salleh, says Dr Maszlee Malik.
The former education minister said that Mohd Fadli had also been vocal during his (Maszlee's) tenure in the Education Ministry.
He added that the Pakatan Harapan government would not stifle or victimise outspoken teachers like Mohd Fadli, but instead find ways to engage with them.
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"In the past, we engaged with such people, even those who demonstrated against us. We do not sack, demote or transfer them to far-away places," he said during a gathering in Pasir Gudang here Sunday (Oct 16).
Mohd Fadli had posted on his Facebook page previously that he would be fired or demoted for voicing his views on the learning syllabus that he considered was of too high a level and inappropriate for students.
He also highlighted other claims in his post, including the high number of students per class, the number of subjects and the issue of heavy schoolbags that he said could be harmful to students’ health.
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Dr Maszlee, who is also the incumbent Simpang Renggam MP, said that many teachers wanted to retire early as they were burdened doing many jobs outside their job scope.
He added that if Pakatan Harapan was elected as the new government, it hoped to revamp the education system including providing free meals for all school students, implementing a new education model and lighter workload for all teachers.
Dr Maszlee said Pakatan hoped to boost the country's education system to be at par with other nations such as Singapore, Finland, Japan and Germany.
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"Over the last two years, due to Covid-19, many of our students have not gone to school as not everyone has internet at home.
"So after schools reopened, instead of having a long term plan, the previous government decided to abolish UPSR and PT3," he said during a talk with Pasir Gudang residents here.
