A TOTAL of 19,179 primary and secondary school teachers in Malaysia have opted for early retirement between 2022 and May 2025, with most citing a loss of interest in the profession as their primary reason.
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh told the Dewan Rakyat today that of the total, 5,306 teachers retired early in 2022, followed by 6,394 in 2023, 5,082 in 2024, and 2,397 up to May this year.
"Based on the data, 67.44 per cent of teachers gave 'loss of interest' as the main reason for leaving early," he said. Family issues accounted for 17.43 per cent, health problems for 7.69 per cent, work-related stress for 5.3 per cent, and personal matters for 2.08 per cent.
Responding to a question from Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN – Masjid Tanah) on the number of early retirements and the ministry’s strategies to manage the teacher shortage, Wong said the Education Ministry now conducts permanent teacher recruitment twice a year.
The Education Service Commission (SPP), he added, has also opened its application system year-round to expedite recruitment and placement.
To address the shortage more broadly, the Ministry has undertaken several initiatives, including the implementation of the *Modul Tadbir Urus Sekolah* (MySG) since 2021 to enhance school management functions.
Additionally, the Ministry has developed a detailed Job Description (JD) document since 2016 to provide clearer accountability and support teachers in fulfilling their responsibilities more effectively.
Wong also noted efforts to reduce teachers' workload, including appointing non-teaching staff as invigilators for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations. However, the Ministry’s target of appointing 20 per cent of invigilators from outside the teaching profession has not yet been met.
In a further measure introduced this year, the Ministry has hired MySTEP teaching assistants to support teachers with administrative tasks. These assistants are stationed at schools with more than 1,500 students, including Special Education Secondary Schools (SMK Pendidikan Khas). - August 20, 2025
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