Sabah-born graduates should be prioritised in serving home state.

KOTA KINABALU:Priority should be given to recruiting Sabah-born graduates to serve in their home state, said Likas assemblyman Tham Yun Fook. 

Referring to the Federal Minister of Education that the Ministry of Education Malaysia (KPM) will recruit 20,000 new teachers to meet the nation’s education needs, he welcomes the initiative as the large-scale recruitment is crucial to ensuring the sustainability of the national education system. 

"In line with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), Sabah is not merely a recipient of federal policies but a founding partner of the Federation of Malaysia. 

"Therefore, any national policy that directly impacts the education system in Sabah must be formulated and implemented with meaningful involvement from the State of Sabah, including in the recruitment and selection of teachers," he said in a statement.  

The former senior state Education officer also said the  the federal Education Ministry should also appoint senior officers from the Sabah State Education Department (JPNS) as well as the Sabah Education, Science and Innovation ministry as permanent members of the Teacher Recruitment Selection Panel at the KPM level. 

"It must be acknowledged that, to date, senior officers from Sabah have rarely been involved in the selection committees for admission into the Institute of Teacher Education (IPG) or in teacher recruitment processes. 

"This situation is clearly inconsistent with the spirit of MA63 and reflects a highly centralised approach that is no longer relevant to current realities.  

"If KPM is truly committed to the full and substantive implementation of MA63, rather than a symbolic one, structural corrections in the decision-making process can no longer be delayed. "