Over 20,000 new teachers appointed last year, says Fadhlina

KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry appointed 20,171 new teachers on a contract and permanent basis to overcome the issue of teacher shortage in schools last year.

Its Minister, Fadhlina Sidek said that was the highest number ever appointed by the ministry in a year.

"The intake will continue for this year and the years to come to fill the vacancies in schools under the Education Ministry,” she said when winding up the motion of thanks for the Royal address for the ministry at the Dewan Negara sitting on Wednesday (March 27).

In addition, Fadhlina reiterated the ministry currently does not plan to review the vernacular school policies by creating a single-stream education system.

She said the existing education policy would be continued, with attention given to efforts to close the gap between schools in the country to ensure national unity can be achieved through education.

"As such, we do not view any type of school as a hindrance towards promoting unity. In fact, it is the best space for us to provide space for understanding and strengthening the agenda of unity among students.

"I am very optimistic that, going forward, the future generation will show true appreciation for unity through the approaches we take now,” she said.

Meanwhile, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, when winding up the same motion for the ministry, said it is striving to create a guideline for English language proficiency based on the Common European Framework of Reference For Languages, which is used internationally.

"This guideline will be used by language lecturers and teachers in public universities to develop English assessment test papers that are appropriate to students’ proficiency levels based on international standards,” he said.

He also said the ministry, through the Medical Dean's Council of Malaysian Public Universities, is drafting a strategic plan for medical expertise training to meet the needs of medical specialists in the country. - Bernama