Teacher shortage in major cities a serious issue

KLUANG: The dwindling number of teachers in major cities, especially in Johor and Selangor, is a serious issue as many of them who are in service, choose to return to their respective hometowns.
Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik said their tendency to request to work in their hometown was due to the higher cost of living in the big cities.
"The shortage is happening in cities like Johor Baru, Pasir Gudang and Shah Alam and the ministry is looking into the matter to search for the best solution to keep these teachers from leaving.
"There may be some initiatives that can be taken such as raising the cost of living allowance (hardship allowance) or to encourage more locals to be teachers but all are still under review," he said.
At the same time, he appealed them not to leave their allocated teaching positions.
Maszlee, who is also the Simpang Renggam MP, was asked about whether Johor and other states are currently facing a shortage of teachers.
Maszlee was speaking to reporters at the opening ceremony and presentation of the work completion certificate for the construction of Johor's dilapidated schools phase one, at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Simpang Renggam, here today.
Meanwhile, talking about dilapidated schools, Maszlee said the ministry would double its efforts to ensure the projects that were given to rebuild and upgrade these schools would be completed soon.
"From time to time, I will monitor to ensure that it is completed according to the dateline," he said.
Based on the statistics in 2017, the ministry identified 120 schools that are dilapidated throughout the country, with 60 of them located in Peninsular Malaysia, while 30 are in Sabah and Sarawak, respectively.
With the allocation provided by the government in 2018, more than 20 of those schools have been rebuilt or repaired through the first phase of the project, he added. — Bernama