PETALING JAYA: The Education Ministry will recruit 20,000 new Grade DG9 Education Service Officers on a contract of service basis to meet the demand for teachers in schools nationwide.
This initiative is part of its early preparations for implementing the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2026-2035 and introducing voluntary Year One enrolment for six-year-old children starting next year, said the ministry.
“To ensure that teacher competency aspects are maintained, selected candidates must undergo specialist training at the Institute of Teacher Education in various fields of specialisation,” it said in a statement.
Details of the recruitment will be released on Feb 23. Applications will be open from March 2 to March 20, followed by an interview screening process from April 27 to May 14.
In IPOH, Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said that teacher shortages and placement challenges are not limited to Chinese schools but affect all school types nationwide.
Over the past two to three years, he said the filling of vacancies has improved from 95% to over 97%.
“Although this percentage is dynamic due to retirements and early retirements, we have maintained a higher level compared to three years ago.
“Recently in Parliament, we reported that the rate has exceeded 97% across all types of schools,” he said.
Wong said that the ministry is in discussion with the Education Service Commission on measures to further boost recruitment.
He said teacher training takes time, as producing a trained teacher through the Teacher Education Institute (IPG) typically takes about five years from the Form Five level.
“Although IPG has increased its intake for the Bachelor of Teaching Degree Programme in recent years, the ministry acknowledged this will not immediately resolve shortages.”
He also spoke about plans to replace conventional school blocks with modular Industrialised Building System (IBS) classrooms to accommodate the anticipated rise in Year One enrolment next year.
The ministry is currently reviewing schools that may encounter challenges due to inadequate facilities or classroom shortages, he said.
“Some schools are overcrowded and cannot accommodate more students, but many schools still have available space.
“For schools facing shortages, the ministry will build additional classrooms.
“Unlike conventional construction, which can take at least two to three years to complete a block of six to 12 classrooms, IBS construction allows classrooms to be completed in about four to five months once approval is obtained,” he told reporters after a working visit to SM Yuk Choy (Suwa) here yesterday.
Wong said the IBS approach is not new and has been implemented over the past two to three years in overcrowded schools, including in Cyberjaya, where additional classrooms were prepared within a short period.
He also addressed parents’ concerns over the government’s announcement that six-year-old children can be enrolled in Year One from next year.
“For 2027, we are giving parents the authority to choose. They know their children’s development and readiness best,” he said, adding that parents can decide whether to enrol their six-year-old child in Year One next year or to wait until 2028.
On the registration of Year One pupils for the 2027 school year, he said enrolment would run from Feb 15 until the end of March, giving parents about two months to decide
“After the March 31 deadline, the ministry will assess how many six-year-olds have opted to enter Year One and adjust planning accordingly.”
