KUALA LUMPUR: Over 8,000 teaching vacancies have been filled this year with plans to deploy thousands more to address persistent teacher shortages in schools nationwide, says Wong Kah Woh.
The Deputy Education Minister said 8,042 new teachers had been placed in primary and secondary schools as of June 2026.
He noted that there were currently 422,325 teachers serving nationwide, representing a 98% staffing rate, in line with the staffing target set by the central agency.
"The placements are part of the ministry's continuous efforts to ensure teaching needs in schools are met optimally," he told the Dewan Rakyat during Minister's Question Time on Thursday (July 9).
Wong said another 5,829 graduates from the Bachelor of Teaching Degree Programme (PISMP), together with 2,633 reserve candidates, will also begin reporting to schools starting this September.
He further said that 549 graduates from the postgraduate diploma in education programme are expected to complete their studies in October before being posted to schools by January next year.
Wong added that the Education Service Commission is also conducting interviews for the open recruitment phase of the 2026 teacher recruitment exercise, which began in earlier May this year and is expected to conclude by this October.
He was responding to Salamiah Mohd Nor (PN-Temerloh), who asked about the teacher shortage affecting schools and the measures being taken to address the issue.
To this, Wong said the ministry will continue implementing several measures to improve teacher recruitment while safeguarding teachers' welfare.
These include holding permanent teacher recruitment twice annually, keeping the mySPP application portal open year-round and expanding subject clusters to widen the recruitment pool.
“The Ministry is also broadening recruitment to include graduates from private and overseas universities while maintaining priority for public university graduates.
“Graduates without formal teaching qualifications may also be appointed under the Contract of Service scheme to help meet staffing needs,” he said.
