Gov't teachers should not openly criticise gov't: NUTP president

PETALING JAYA: Government teachers should not be openly criticising the government as they have signed an undertaking to that effect when employed as a civil servant.
National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) president Kamarozaman Razak said signing the undertaking is also akin to making a vow to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (YDPA).
"Officially, we are appointed by the Agong. It is the Education Services Commission (ESC) that appoints teachers, not the government, and commissions fall under the purview of the Agong," Kamarozaman said when contacted by theSun.
Additionally, he said, a teacher's role is to educate instead of playing politics and they should go through official channels such as associations or meetings at higher levels of government if they have any complaints or grouses to air.
Kamarozaman said if teachers truly wish to participate in politics they should apply to do so with the Education Ministry's secretary-general, and even when approved they should not slander others.
"You can participate but you should not be unprofessional. This is politics of negative perception, if I don't like what the government is doing and I tell my students.
"But as a teacher I need to teach the right things to my students using the correct facts and figures which I can get from the government. We should not slander," he said.
Kamarozaman added that, from his experience, younger government teachers seem to be more prone to outbursts against the government.
He was commenting on Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid's statement that government teachers openly discrediting the government and participating in Opposition events should resign from their posts.
Mahdzir similarly said this is because teachers, as civil servants, are subject to rules in the civil service's General Orders and said five of such teachers will be given show-cause letters.