Manyin: 8,829 teachers in Sarawak teach subjects they were not trained in

BY CHURCHILL EDWARD ON JUNE 30, 2021, WEDNESDAY AT 6:04 PM

KUCHING (June 30): The state Education Department has identified 8,829 non-option teachers across Sarawak, said Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Datuk Michael Manyin Jawong.

The non-option teachers are teaching Science (2,995), Mathematics (3,992), and English (1,842).

Manyin explained that a non-option teacher is one who is, for example, trained to teach Bahasa Melayu but asked to teach Mathematics or Science due to the unavailability of Mathematics or Science teachers in that school.

“Currently we are addressing this issue with the RM6 million allocation given by the state for re-skilling and upskilling of these non-option teachers,” he said in a statement today.

Manyin said the initiative conducted with the Education Department and local teacher education institutes (IPGM) is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

On Sarawak’s 90:10 policy for teachers, where 90 per cent of teachers in the state must be Sarawakian, he said it seeks to address the high turnover of teachers, especially in rural schools.

He pointed out that many teachers, especially non-Sarawakians, found it hard to adjust to rural life in the state.

Manyin said Sarawak still maintained 10 per cent non-Sarawakian teachers to have a mix.

“This will give teachers from other states the opportunity to come to Sarawak, understand our cultures and customs better, and subsequently strengthen integration in our country,” he said.

“It will also allow our students the opportunity to be taught by experienced teachers from the other states. At the same time, we also need to expose our Sarawakian teachers to teach in other states in order to gain more experience both in teaching and cultural understanding outside Sarawak and become more efficient

As of April 2021, Sarawak was short of 3,385 teachers — 1,545 in secondary schools and 1,840 in primary schools.

Manyin said his ministry, established in May 2017, seeks to assist and complement the Ministry of Education (MoE) in addressing education issues in Sarawak by working closely with the Education Department and other related agencies.

Since its inception, his ministry and the department had looked at the overall performance trend of Sarawak’s students in public examinations, which was found to be unsatisfactory.

He said the most glaring factor was the poor physical condition of schools, where 1,020 were categorised as dilapidated and from which 415 were critically dilapidated.

The other factors were high turnover of teachers, especially in rural schools, and mismatch of subject options.

In addressing dilapidated schools, Manyin said RM1 billion had been allocated for this in contra with Sarawak’s soft loan from the federal government.

A total 148 schools covered under this initiative are currently under various stages of implementation.

In addition, the Sarawak government has already repaired 66 rural schools under the Rural Transformation Initiative (RTI) at a cost of RM21 million.

Under Projek Rakyat (People’s Project), four schools are being improved — SK Ulu Segan (RM28.5 million), SK Maludam (RM35.765 million), SK Merpati Jepang (RM12,75 million), and SK Kampung Penasu, Daro (RM35 million).

Sarawak also approved RM3 million for the construction of a new Integrated Special Education Programme (PPKI) block at SMK Matang.

Manyin added Sarawak has also approved an allocation of RM160 million for the repairs and upgrading of 60 dilapidated schools in the northern region.

     

 

My comments:

This BN-GPS government has been in power for far too long to resolve the issue of teachers shortage and irrelevant assignments to teachers to teach the subjects they have not much ideas.  When the so-called federal government has failed to deliver their work properly, the Sarawak government has not been able to get back our sovereign rights as a nation in the federation, isn’t it the time for Sarawakians to change the poor and lousy government for a better and more dynamic one all for the good of Sarawakians?

 

Alamak!  What a curse!  What a pity!  What a shame!   To hear that the BN-GPS government has to pay out again and again from our own coffer to retrain our teachers when the so-called federal education department has failed again and again to deliver the task properly, are you as Sarawakians determined to flush out this government for good?

 

Please calculate for me to find out how much the taxpayers’ money (sweat and blood) this corrupt and indulgent government has squandered  light-heartedly and how much has been pocketed by these corrupt political thugs.

 

When soooooooo---- much money in terms of our natural resources and taxes in different categories have been taken by the Malaya colonial masters and imperialists,  it is disgusting and exasperating beyond words to say that we still need to pay for extra education expenses to upgrade our schools and upskill our teachers. 

 

Sarawak short of 3,385 teachers as of April this year – Manyin

BY CHURCHILL EDWARD ON JULY 1, 2021, THURSDAY AT 7:02 AMSARAWAK

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Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong

KUCHING (July 1): As of April this year, Sarawak faced a shortage of 3,385 teachers – 1,545 in secondary schools and 1,840 in primary schools, Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Datuk Amar Michael Manyin Jawong has disclosed.

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 To address this issue, his ministry is working closely with State Education Department (JPNS) to engage with Teachers Training Institutes (IPGs) in the state to come up with the proposal of employing interested graduates as temporary teachers, he said in a press statement themed ‘Sarawak should produce own teachers to overcome shortage’ yesterday.

He was reacting to a statement made by Senator Jaziri Alkaf Abdillah Suffian, who is the Sarawak Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chief, which was published on June 21 in the Malay Mail Online and also the statement by Democratic Action Party (DAP) Long Lama branch chairman Marcus Hugo Matu Lejau published on June 21 in the Borneo Post Online.

The recruitment of these temporary teachers must go through qualifying test (psychometric test) and interview conducted by JPNS and IPGs, Manyin said.

Those who passed and are selected will be required to undergo six months of practical teaching in schools during which they will be assessed by IPG lecturers and the schools.

Those who are found to be suitable, really interested in teaching, passionate, committed and with the correct aptitude will be recommended and offered to do Diploma in Education at an IPG for a period of one and half year on a part-time basis while teaching.

Upon completion of this course, those who fulfil all the requirements will be awarded Diploma in Education which will qualify them to be appointed as DG41 trained teachers, both in secondary and primary schools, he added.

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 If this proposal is accepted by the Ministry of Education (MOE), Manyin said the state authorities are confident in resolving the issue of shortage of teachers throughout Sarawak within the next three years.

“We had discussed this proposal a few times with officers from MOE since 2019 and also with the Senior Minister of Education in April 2021. In addition, we had also made a follow-up through letter dated April 14, 2021 to the Senior Minister of Education, and a similar proposal was sent to YAB Prime Minister through a letter signed by YAB Chief Minister dated May 6, 2021.

“Even though we have not received an official reply from MOE, the fact is that, one of the strategies or approaches taken by MOE as announced by the Senior Minister recently is very similar with our proposal,” he said.

 Apart from addressing all the issues, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Research also introduced programmes like leadership course for school leaders attended by 1,265 headmasters, and 1,265 senior assistants, which cost the state government about RM2.5 million; various refresher courses for teachers at a cost of about RM1 million; Sarawak English Language Education symposiums (Seles) for northern, central and southern regions attended by about 2,500 participants at a cost of RM2.5 million; teaching of science and mathematics in English in all public primary schools starting from Primary 1 in 2020 incurring a cost of RM11 million; and provision of teaching and learning materials to schools at the cost of RM5.8 million.

Others include the connection of electricity supply to 125 rural schools with an allocation of RM50 million (currently under various stages of implementation); connection of treated water supply to 41 rural schools with an allocation of RM9 million, of which 35 have been completed thus far; and provision of computers (Raspberry Pie) for all primary schools throughout Sarawak at the cost of RM12 million, he said.

“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this project (provision of computers – Raspberry Pie) is slightly delayed. We are targeting to complete the project before end of 2021.

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 “We are fully aware of all the issues and problems pertaining to education in Sarawak. Our minister is not new to these issues, as he has been a teacher and school principal for 25 years before entering politics. He was also once on the interview panel for Teachers Training Colleges’ intake in Sarawak in 1975 and 1983. Thus, he knows very well the ins and outs of education issues.

“As suggested by the Senator, we can produce our own teachers provided that we are given the authority and better still given full autonomy over education. Therefore, we would like to urge the Senator to convey to his colleagues at the federal level the aspirations of Sarawakians to have authority in education.

“If the Senator and DAP Long Lama chairman have any more better proposals or ideas with regard to education in Sarawak, they are most welcome to discuss with us instead of going to the media without genuine fact,” the statement pointed out.

    This is obvious that this 59-year-old BN-GPS government has no ability to deliver their duty as far as education for Sarawak is concerned.  They have been in power for too long.    

It is the Malaya government, the colonial masters are doing thisis to force this puppet-like-GPS government to submission on purpose 

to break the ratio 90% Sarawakians: 10 Malaya teachers by ex-CM Adnan Satem.   

 Do you still want to keep this government which is so corrupt and ever-ready 

to collude with the colonial masters for their self-interest and posts?  Alamak! 

 What a curse!  What a pity! What a shame!

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My comments on : 

“DCM hopes special portfolio would boost social-economic devt in Sarawak, Sabah”

        Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan hopes that the new Sabah and Sarawak Affairs portfolio could bring the socio-economic development in the two ‘states’ up to the level of their counterparts in Peninsular Malaya.

        Sabah & Sarawak have been plundered and exploited to the extent that we are in such appalling states because of the weak and puppet-like leadership in Sabah and Sarawak.  First of all, the traitor-minded Sabah and Sarawak leaders are ever-ready to please the imperialists and colonial masters.  They play blind to the fact that MA63 is void and null from the very beginning. 

        It is idiotic to plead for fairness and equality from colonial masters.  And to many Sarawakians, they see it as foul-plays between the Malayan colonial masters and selfish and self-interested-minded Sarawakian ministers. 

        I believe that many Sarawakians are boiling with rage about the colonisation of the Malayan government and the Sarawak government led by BN-GPS alliance is not sincere in protecting the interests and benefits of Sarawakians as a whole.

        Well, Sarawak belongs to Sarawakians and Yes, we are preparing for Sarawak secession from the fakederation of Malaysia which after all is just the change of name from Malaya.  In short, Malaysia is Malaya in disguise.   But the problem is that the alliance in power in Sarawak has more or less merged with the alliance from Malaya for their own good and benefits.  Check who has become the mult-billionaire in the process.  Who is in the centre of power?  The longer they are in power or holding the official ranks, the richer they have become.  Let catch and expose them to the eye of the public for scrutiny.  We need help from the whole-wide world for the task.

        Are you ready, dear Sarawakians, to change the 58 year-old government for good and brighter future for Sarawak as a whole?   Ling Moi Hung

The Secret To Success - an eye opening story

 CNA Insider

(https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/fight-save-bangkok-sinking-watery-depths-floods-climate-change-12550382)

The fight to save Bangkok from sinking into watery depths

A green basin, an urban farm and a floating home — the programme Insight explores the solutions being devised to keep climate change and floodwaters at bay in the Thai capital.

Families in Bangkok are often faced with floods. But is it a problem with no end in sight?

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BANGKOK: When landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom and her landscape design studio, Landprocess, created a park in central Bangkok in 2017, it was no ordinary park.

It was a green basin to help the city soak up excess water — up to 4.5 million litres — by funnelling water into underground tanks, for example, and thus reduce monsoon flooding.

The 4.4-hectare Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park also consists of wetlands, a rain garden and an underground water drainage system.

“This public green space … is helping us to collect the water, helping us to create (cleaner) air, helping us in terms of a healthy space for the citizens,” said Kotchakorn.

“This is part of the solution that can be replicated … within the city. That (is), we need more space to hold the water.”

Such solutions are needed because Bangkok is buckling under the weight of urban development, with its buildings putting downward pressure on the land.

And nearly 40 per cent of this low-lying city may be flooded each year by 2030 owing to extreme rainfall and changes in weather patterns, according to the World Bank.

READ: Meet Thailand's secret weapon in climate change battle

But as the programme Insight discovers, there are ways to stop this tourist haven from sinking, and protect it against the rising tide. (Watch the episode here.)

AGENCIES FOUND WANTING

The Thai capital, with a population of about 10 million, sits in the Chao Phraya river delta and is caught between the rising sea level — four millimetres a year — and land subsidence of up to two centimetres a year.

READ: Why Manila is at risk of becoming an underwater city

READ: Why Jakarta is the fastest sinking city in the world

 

Bangkok’s chief resilience officer, Supachai Tantikom, explained that the soil underlying the city generally consists of alternating layers of soft clay and sand. “We don’t have any rock layers. And there are a lot of aquifers,” he said.

“In the past, we used a lot of underground water … so this has caused land subsidence.”

Dr Supachai Tantikom.

Frequent flooding resulting in part from climate change has worsened the situation.

Just an hour south of Bangkok, the once-thriving fishing village of Samut Chin has already had to move inland several times over the years, owing to coastal erosion and rising sea levels.

Village head Wisanu Kengsamut said that despite repeated calls to the government to address the problem, nothing much had been done. “Regarding the coastal erosion problems, the government agencies provided very little help in the past,” complained the 37-year-old.

“Even now, we don’t receive any significant assistance from them on these issues. Our community faces the severest problem of coastal erosion in Thailand.”

Wisanu Kengsamut.

Some residents in the country have felt that the government has not done enough to tackle the problems of flooding since 2011, when Thailand’s worst floods in half a century resulted in more than 800 deaths nationwide.

In the capital, floodwaters inundated parts of the city for almost three months. The severity of the situation caught many residents — and the authorities — off guard.

Somsak Meeudomsak, deputy director-general of Bangkok’s Department of Drainage and Sewerage, said the drainage systems in the provinces were not adequate. “In Bangkok … our water management system was also not good enough compared to now,” he added.

THE MONKEY CHEEK CONCEPT

The problems facing Bangkok have set some people, including Kotchakorn, thinking how best to resolve them.

Frequent flood problems in Bangkok, a result of urban growth and climate change.

The city used to be known as the Venice of the East because of its canals, but many of these have been paved over because of urban growth. The rainwater they channelled has nowhere to go now.

“We (weren’t) concerned about our natural waterways … (and) how the water would drain,” said Kotchakorn, who is also the chief executive officer of social enterprise Porous City Network.

“We have so many dams upstream, and that’s preventing us (Bangkok) from having sediments … With less sediments (in the delta), the land can’t grow.”

The 39-year-old also believes that rapid urbanisation has swallowed up the city’s greenery, leading to a temperature rise.

It hasn't been easy for her to convince clients, authorities and other businesses to see the big environmental picture in a megacity obsessed with economic targets and expansion. (Photo: AFP/Lillian Suwanrumpha)

“Rapid growth without … really planning to have enough green spaces or natural elements in the city (has) cost so much in terms of the pollution and the well-being of people,” she said.

She is pushing for more sustainable development solutions to combat climate change, including re-introducing nature into the city.

For example, the Centenary Park serves as a kaem ling (monkey cheek) water-retention area for the community, like how a monkey holds food in its cheeks until it needs to eat.

Under normal conditions, water that is not absorbed by plants flows into the park’s storage system, where it is stored for watering during dry periods.   When floods hit, the containers hold water and release it after the flooding has subsided.

WATCH: Asia's Sinking Cities: Bangkok (45:58)

Combating floods through design is just one of the many functions of Kotchakorn’s designs.

ASIA’S BIGGEST ROOFTOP FARM

With buildings crowding the streets, she has also turned to underutilised spaces to introduce nature by, for example, creating Asia’s biggest rooftop farm at Thammasat University.

The 7,000 square metre space mimics rice terraces and can help to curb some of the impact of climate change, she said.

Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, the university’s vice-rector for sustainability and administration, noted that buildings with a green roof will consume less air conditioning.

The rooftop farm at Thammasat University.

“We need (this) green roof to reduce the use of energy (and) reduce the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,” he said.

Another architecture firm, Site-Specific, had earlier designed and built an amphibious house for Thailand’s National Housing Authority to help fight flooding.

The trial house in nearby Ayutthaya, a province grappling with floods, has steel pontoons filled with styrofoam, which can lift the house off the ground if floods occur.

The government has taken other steps to ensure that homes are flood-proof and that the calamity of 2011 does not recur.

Work is needed to flood-proof homes in Bangkok.

These flood prevention initiatives include the dredging of canals, improving Bangkok’s drainage systems and increasing the height of a 77-km flood wall along the Chao Phraya River.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has also been building underground “water banks”, or large artesian wells, to retain rainwater during heavy downpours.  Inspired by a similar project in Japan, these wells will be connected with pipes and gutters to receive floodwater.

The BMA also launched a programme to replant mangrove forests, with the target of restoring almost 65 hectares of coastline.

Kotchakorn, however, feels that the city has a long way to go in resolving its flood problems and rising water levels — and that research has not necessarily translated into action.

The city has only just begun to find the solutions, says Kotchakorn.

“We have to be more action-oriented, rather than just keeping all this research on climate change on the shelf.  So the policymakers or the community have to come together,” she said.

“There’s so much work to be done ... And we need to act faster.”