Contract teachers on edge over lack of MoE response on extensions

KUALA LUMPUR – Currently 2,506 teachers employed on a contract basis in various states, including Sabah and Sarawak, are said to have not received any notification from the Education Ministry on whether their contracts of service will be renewed.

This issue was highlighted by Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching, a former deputy education minister, who said the contracts would end on June 10 this year.

Teo said the teachers were appointed on a contract basis and are currently pursuing their postgraduate diplomas in teaching offered by the ministry during the school holidays, as stipulated in the terms of their contracts of service.

Teo’s concern is the alleged lack of response from the ministry on the fate of the teachers and the renewal of their contracts.

“Is MoE going to renew their contract of service?” she asked.

According to one of the teachers, Maimunah (not her real name), those on contract are in their final semester of the postgraduate diploma in teaching which they have pursued online as well as face-to-face as and when required.

“Currently we have completed two semesters of the one-year programme and are in the process of completing the final semester,” she said.

“But we are concerned as there is no letter from MoE on the extension of our contracts of service,” she added, confirming June 10 as the last day of the current tenure.

It is understood that a representative of the affected teachers has been appointed to meet Deputy Education Minister I Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon on April 22.

Maimunah said Dr Mah had informed their representative that contracts for teachers would be renewed for a further two years only if the teachers passed the postgraduate diploma in teaching from Institutes of Teacher Education and attended the “Bina Insan Guru” programme, which runs from May 15 to 27.

Wang Heng Suan, secretary-general of the National Union of the Teaching Profession, said the teachers’ union is aware of this matter and has written a letter of appeal to the ministry requesting for the renewal of contracts for the 2,506 teachers.

“The letter of appeal was submitted one month ago, and we are awaiting the decision of MoE to send us the letter confirming the extension of the contract of service for a further two years,” said Wang, who felt more patience is needed as the ministry has not yet rejected the appeal and the contracts end in June.

However, most teachers are hoping that the government will send out the letters of renewal soon. 

“We need the letter of confirmation as soon as possible so we can continue our contract of service, and then once we pass the postgraduate diploma, we can be made permanent as a teacher by the Education Service Commission,” said Mainumah.

Payment for postgraduate diploma by teachers

Another teacher, Azman (not his real name), on the other hand, felt that teachers on contract have a right to be made permanent immediately as they have paid fees for the postgraduate diploma.

He said many teachers have attended the course online during the holidays and have sacrificed their time and effort to pursue the diploma.

“For the teachers on contract, we paid a total of RM4,854 for three semesters over three years, and we used our savings to pay for the postgraduate diploma,” he said.

“Many of us are serving in remote parts of Malaysia and there is an age limit to satisfy before you can apply to be a teacher on contract,” he added.

Azman said that the general feeling among the teachers serving their contracts is the need to hear from the government on the renewal of the contract of service as soon as possible.

“Many of us have served in remote parts and served as teachers to the best of our ability. 

“It is only fair we are informed of the decision of renewal of contracts so we can make plans for the future as many contract teachers have families relying on them,” said Azman – The Vibes April 30, 2022.