One of the least acknowledged issues in the government school system, teacher truancy or absenteeism, was highlighted in a recent court case in Kota Kinabalu. Three former secondary students from SMK Taun Gusi in Kota Belud, Sabah, won a civil case in the High Court against the school’s former headmaster Suid Hanapi, the director-general of education, minister of education and federal government. The case involved their former teacher, Jainal Jamran, who was assigned to teach English for three hours a week, but was absent from class for seven months from January to October 2017.
The trial also brought up issues of general corruption and nepotism within the school system. There was an attempt by a former education director distantly related to Jainal to cover up the truancy by backdating the teacher’s class attendance books. The case also publicly exposed the use of death threats against one of Jainal’s fellow teachers, whistleblower Nurhaizah Ejab, who also had her car tyres slashed in retaliation.
Source: https://www.wikiimpact.com
An amazing observation arising from this case was how the education ministry (MOE) defended the case so vigorously.
The case opened up one of the major problems within the secondary school system, and attempts to cover it up. Undoubtedly, teacher absenteeism from classes in both primary and secondary schools is far more widespread than what most outsiders believe. It could be a major factor in the underperformance of many students, particularly in poor rural areas across Malaysia.
Teacher absenteeism cases in Malaysia have not been reported for over 14 years. According to Tiada Guru, an NGO in Sabah, an OECD report back in 2009 indicated that 19.5 percent of Malaysian school principals had reported teacher absenteeism.
There is a culture of fear that prevents school students reporting teacher absenteeism. Perhaps the most telling statistic is that between 2010 and 2017, 55.4% of disciplinary cases heard by the MOE ministry involved teacher absence from duty. Teacher absenteeism is just as much a problem in schools, as are curriculum, pedagogy, and class size issues.
According to Tiada Guru, this problem (absenteeism) tends to happen more in poor rural settings, than in urban environments, and contributes to the continuing cycle of poverty. Lower exam passes directly affect income. A diploma holder earns 1.4 times more than someone with only SPM, while a degree holder earns 2.3 times more. Literacy rates remain much lower in rural than urban areas.
Teacher absenteeism is therefore more than an education issue. It perpetuates the incidence of poverty in rural families. Teacher absenteeism also contributes to student truancy. When there is no supervisory teacher in class, students will wander away or not turn up to class at all. Many students come from homes where the parents work and want their children to assist with home duties, or family enterprises. Unlucky ones may go astray outside of class, and become involved in using narcotics due to boredom.
Teacher absenteeism is a symptom of dissatisfaction within elements of the teaching profession. Many have low motivation levels. Others are just not suited for the profession. Some others use the time dishonestly to undertake other income earning activities. Teacher absenteeism has been kept a secret at school level, away from the MOE to protect reputations. The school management culture is to engage in cover-ups, with staff problems kept “in-house”, outside the ministry disciplinary system. Unfortunately, much more than teacher absenteeism is also covered up. This may include theft, rape, and molestation.
Surely, the Madani government will want to be transparent and root-out the problem. It is not good enough to set-up a “Jawatankuasa” or a Task Force to examine the issues – there are many including lack of integrity, theft, molestation beyond absenteeism. We have not just curricula issues but also teachers and environment. The MOE has to stop having the ostrich effect – a cognitive bias to avoid negative information or feedback.
Reference:
Teacher absenteeism: Malaysia’s biggest education problem, Murray Hunter, FMT, 12 September 2023-09
No comments:
Post a Comment