The termination letters issued to untrained attachment teachers (GSTT) last year have been withdrawn, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced today.
Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, said he had looked into the matter and decided that teachers under the GSTT scheme could continue teaching.
He said there were 13,000 teachers under the scheme nationwide and that the GSTTs in Sabah were among those issued with the termination letters.
“I’ve asked the Education Ministry director-general to issue letters to those who have served two to five years, informing them that they can continue teaching.
“I’ve also asked that the termination letters issued last year to be withdrawn to give them the opportunity to serve, and to post them in suitable areas,” he told reporters after handing over dividends for the Tongod hardcore poor development programme’s farm project and the Lampapas Tongod communal grants, here.
He was commenting on the plights of 578 GSTTs in Sabah whose contracts had been terminated, and the requests from various parties, including from Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan, for their contracts to be renewed.
Muhyiddin said he had issued a directive two months ago to withdraw the termination letters and retain the service of the GSTTs.
He added that the decision was made to give them opportunities to become trained teachers by undergoing teaching courses during school holidays.
This approach would allow the GSTTs to enhance their capabilities in subjects such as English language, Malay language, Science and Mathematics, he added.
Muhyiddin also reminded the GSTTs to be prepared to accept postings to other areas, saying it was not necessary that they would be posted back to their previous schools.
He added that the Education Ministry would have to relook into the intake of new teachers under the scheme.
He urged district education officers to utilise the existing GSTTs and post them in schools that required their service and not taking the easy way out by employing new GSTTs.
He added that any new intake of GSTTs should be referred first to the state education directors or the Education Ministry.
– Bernama
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