Give Chance To Locals In Interior Of Sabah To Become Teachers

TENOM, May 28 (Bernama) -- Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Radin Malleh has appealed to the Education Ministry to immediately review and relook at the decisions of the interviewers during an open interview for the teaching profession, meant for the locals in Nabawan and Kemabong in the interior of Sabah, on May 7.

He said this was because many parents and students felt that the interviews were not conducted according to the intended target.

"The main objective of the interview is to give opportunity to locals in the interior of Sabah, especially in Nabawan and Kemabong, to become teachers," he told Bernama.

However, he added that candidates from outside the interior districts had also been taken in, depriving the locals of the opportunity to become teachers.

Radin, who is Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) vice-president, said he was made to understand that initially the target group for the intake were locals in the interior who achieved six credits including in Bahasa Melayu and History in SPM, and active in co-curriculum activities.

"Scoring 'A' (credit) is not compulsory for the interior students of Nabawan and Kemabong. The interviewers came all the way from Putrajaya; they didn't know who these candidates were, so they just picked at random and the qualifications applied were the normal one, for example, 4As for male candidates and 5As for female, thus depriving the locals in the area," he said.

Radin said what was saddening was the fact that local education officers were not being involved at all in the intake process.

"Hence the main objective to give opportunity to the locals is defeated. This is not fair to the locals in Nabawan and Kemabong," he said.

If these things go on, he said, the locals would be forever deprived of the opportunity to become teachers.

"That's why the parents want the decisions be reviewed so that the locals are given the chance to realise their dreams."

Radin said that schools in the interior including in Nabawan and Kemabong were still lacking in many aspects including infrastructure and information technology facilities.

These should be taken into account in the intake of teachers through open interview, he added.