NST~TEACHER Non-Malays and men just not interested
By Eileen Ng
news@nst.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: The vicechancellor of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris is puzzled why non-Malays and men appear uninterested in becoming teachers.
“Maybe they think it is not challenging enough or the pay is not attractive,” said Prof Datuk Dr Aminah Ayob after a meet-the-press session yesterday.And to make matters worse, she said, those who were interested often did not have the minimum qualification of a cumulative grade point average of 2.75.
The university produces about 3,500 graduate teachers each year for secondary schools. Of these, only a fifth are non-Malays and 23 per cent are men. She believes many men see teaching as a female domain because it involves children.
Aminah said the lack of men in teaching was not unique to Malaysia. Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines have the same problem. National Union of the Teaching Profession secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng said many non-Malays and men did not want to become teachers because they found the job unattractive .
“The heavy workload is one of the factors, and opportunities to move up the ladder are limited. “For example, up to 200 qualified teachers can be vying for the same vacancy, so they feel the chances of getting it are slim.”
But, she added, the situation had improved since last year when the Education Ministry created posts like specialist and excellent teachers in a move to make the profession more attractive.
news@nst.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: The vicechancellor of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris is puzzled why non-Malays and men appear uninterested in becoming teachers.
“Maybe they think it is not challenging enough or the pay is not attractive,” said Prof Datuk Dr Aminah Ayob after a meet-the-press session yesterday.And to make matters worse, she said, those who were interested often did not have the minimum qualification of a cumulative grade point average of 2.75.
The university produces about 3,500 graduate teachers each year for secondary schools. Of these, only a fifth are non-Malays and 23 per cent are men. She believes many men see teaching as a female domain because it involves children.
Aminah said the lack of men in teaching was not unique to Malaysia. Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines have the same problem. National Union of the Teaching Profession secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng said many non-Malays and men did not want to become teachers because they found the job unattractive .
“The heavy workload is one of the factors, and opportunities to move up the ladder are limited. “For example, up to 200 qualified teachers can be vying for the same vacancy, so they feel the chances of getting it are slim.”
But, she added, the situation had improved since last year when the Education Ministry created posts like specialist and excellent teachers in a move to make the profession more attractive.
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