In response to a news article published on January 10, 2024, about teacher shortage, I was disheartened to read about the serious concern faced by the Ministry of Education.
Closing the floodgates of resignation and migrations is not a solution to the concern.
I hope that the Ministry of Education will help teachers build on their career development and provide necessary employee benefits.
There are teachers who graduated with higher academic qualifications with Masters and Doctorates (Thesis/ publication). And,
with more than 15 years of teaching experiences, they are still teaching as a normal classroom teacher.
That’s so sad.
There is no employee motivation and promotion for them. It is the responsibility of the human resources personnel to take care and look after employee benefits and development.
Higher education is the final stage of formal education, and this requires energy, time and sacrifices.
The question to ask is how responsible is the ministry’s HR department in finding and recruiting teachers for career development or promotion, when there are teachers sitting with higher academic qualifications?
While I do not have concrete proof, I suspect there are officers with higher roles recruited but their qualification does not match the job
description.
As such, with the lack of higher academic qualification, what source of inspiration will they become for students and teachers?
Teachers are depressed and frustrated due to the lack of guidance and support provided by their immediate supervisors.
I urge the ministry to recognise the importance and value of higher education and teaching experiences and encourage career growth opportunities as a way forward to achieve sustainability and growth in education system.
Currently, qualification seems obsolete for career progression or promotion.
That is why many teachers have resigned and migrated because the education sector lacks the challenges and career opportunities.
Organisations that are committed to growth and upskilling its employees can contribute positively to the country’s economic growth and prosperity in the education system.
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