Attachment Teachers Recruited Immediately After Interview

KOTA SAMARAHAN: The attachment teachers attended a special interview yesterday and were recruited immediately after.

They had been trained for one-and-a-half years under the post-graduate diploma in education for untrained attachment teachers.

Localised teacher recruitment to hire attachment teachers will help the state resolve the problem of teacher shortage, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun.

Entulu said the first such recruitment drive in the state would also help the government cut cost.

“Localised recruitment will benefit the country and state and enable experienced teachers to remain where they have chosen to teach,” he pointed out in a press conference after presenting letters of appointment to 520 attachment teachers at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) here yesterday.

Entulu said the state government and he had been lobbying for teaching posts in Sarawak to be filled by local candidates.

“The Teaching Services Commission (SPP) heard our appeal and this is the result we see today. It shows the commission has improved,” he added.

Entulu said the recruitment of attachment teachers would to some extent alleviate the shortage of teachers in the state caused by transfers and retirement.

The recruitment yesterday was the last in the state for this year, with a similar exercise to be conducted next year.

“We have offered appointments to those we think suitable to be teachers. We have gathered what is available in the market.”

Entulu noted that there were 10,430 vacancies for teachers throughout the country of which 4,440 are in secondary schools and 5,990, primary schools.

He said the government is determined to fill these vacancies as soon as possible.

Entulu said a similar recruitment drive would be conducted in Sabah tomorrow.

The attachment teachers who received their appointment letters yesterday would be posted to their respective schools next year.

Among those attending the ceremony were SPP chairman Tan Sri Dr Zulkurnain Awang, Federal State Secretary Datuk Md Yahaya Basimin and SPP secretary Datuk Abu Bakar Othman.

Source: The Borneo Post