KUALA LUMPUR – Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek today responds to a PAS lawmaker who had earlier challenged her to teach in a school for a week to properly feel the plight of educators, by informing that she does indeed have teaching experience.
Addressing the Dewan Rakyat, Fadhlina pointed out that she was lecturing at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for a decade in the past, focusing on shariah law and practice.
She said this when Misbahul Munir Masduki (Parit Buntar-PN) requested her to respond to questions he had raised earlier in his debate, during which he lamented about the workload of teachers in schools.
“I don’t want to be your friend today. It’s not nice of you to say such things,” she said during her ministry’s winding-up speech for the debate on Budget 2023 at the committee stage here today.
“I would like to inform Parit Buntar, I may not be a teacher, but I have ten years of experience teaching for the diploma in administration of Islamic judiciary and legal practice at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
“I taught future shariah judges, prosecutors and lawyers. So, there’s no need to dispute me as though I am pretending to teach. Don’t be like that.”
In response, Misbahul Munir said: “If you don’t want to respond, it’s okay, but answer my questions, even if it’s a written reply. That’s all.”
Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor, who was chairing the proceedings, then interjected Misbahul Munir, reminding the lawmaker to respect the decorum of the house.
Earlier today, the PAS central committee member had said that Fadhlina ought to put herself in teachers’ shoes for a week, claiming that she lacked the experience to empathise with what they have to go through.
He said this is in contrast to lawmakers from the opposition bench who he said resonates better with the hardships educators face as many of them are teachers themselves, including himself.
“The education minister maybe lacks the experience needed to be a teacher. If possible, go to a school and teach for a week. Don’t do your ‘practical’ as you did in Parliament, making us (MPs) students.
“Go to school and see how painful it is, the suffering of teachers who are dumped with heavy burdens,” he added.
Misbahul’s remarks may be an ostensible reference to when Fadhlina turned the Dewan Rakyat into a “classroom” while taking on the “teacher” role during her winding-up speech at the policy level last month. – The Vibes, March 28, 2023
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