DENGKIL: The Ministry of Education (MOE) is ready to consider the request to reduce the three-year service requirement for teacher transfer applications, said Minister Fadhlina Sidek.
Fadhlina said MOE will always give attention to proposals related to teachers’ welfare because teachers are its priority.
“So, the consideration mentioned by the National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) aligns with what we are implementing in policies and strategies, specifically regarding this issue,” she spoke to reporters after today’s groundbreaking ceremony for a national primary school and a Chinese national-type primary school in Bandar Gamuda Cove here.
Also present were Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh and Gamuda chairman Tan Sri Ambrin Buang.
It was reported that NUTP secretary-general Fouzi Singon submitted a request to MOE to ease the requirement for teacher transfer applications following the case of a male teacher who was unable to transfer to Peninsular Malaysia from Sarawak to be closer to his cancer-stricken wife.
In October, a Facebook user posted about Mohamad Izzudin Izhar or Cikgu Din, who could not apply for a transfer as the transfer application system can only be assessed by those who have been in service for three years.
The post caught Fadhlina’s attention, and she instructed Cikgu Din to be granted temporary placement in a school near his wife. Cikgu Din’s wife passed away on Dec 2.
Meanwhile, the construction of the primary schools is a collaborative effort between MOE and Gamuda through the donate-and-build initiative.
Located in the 1,530-acre Gamuda Cove smart township, the schools will be developed in two phases and are expected to accommodate up to 2,400 students in 48 classrooms once fully completed.
The first phase for both schools is expected to be completed by 2026.
