The Selangor Education Department should stop demanding for the return of the 'extra pay' that it claimed should not have been received by the temporary teachers in Chinese schools as they did not have a credit in Bahasa Malaysia in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations.

The ministry has recently sent notices to these temporary teachers, informing them that their salaries should have been deducted by between RM25 and RM110 each month since 1985. It is estimated that the amount to be repaid by the teachers ranges from RM2,000 to RM18,000 each.

The ministry has demanded the return of such 'additional payments' since, it said, teachers who did not have a credit in Bahasa Malaysia should not get the increments.

However, the ministry's claim was objected to by Dong Jiao Zong, the influential organisation that groups members of Chinese education bodies.

"When the temporary teachers were hired, the ministry never stipulated that those without a credit in Bahasa Malaysia would not enjoy the same increments as others," said Yap Hon Kait, assistant executive secretary of Jiao Zong, the Chinese Schools Teachers Association that is part of Dong Jiao Zong.

Yesterday, Nanyang Siang Pau reported that about 30 temporary teachers have received a letter from the Education Ministry ordering them to return the 'extra pay' they have received from 1985 to 2000. They were told to pay up before June 30 this year.

The teachers were informed that if they fail to do so, they will be penalised with additional interests on their 'overdue' payments, face the sack, or have their properties confiscated by the government.

The salary for the affected temporary teachers in 1985 was between RM395 and RM808 in 2000. However, according to the ministry, those without a credit in Bahasa Malaysia should only receive RM370 in 1985 and RM699 in 2000.

"The Education Ministry has not carried out its duties responsibly. It should not place the blame on the teachers," said Yap, adding that the move has further discouraged more people from joining Chinese schools as temporary teachers.

Chinese primary schools have faced difficulties in hiring more teachers over the years. At present, there is a shortage of 3,789 teachers throughout the country. To overcome the problem, most of the schools have resorted to hiring 2,818 temporary teachers. However, they are still around 600 teachers short.

Issue unresolved

Dong Jiao Zong said that when the Selangor Education Department claimed the 'extra pay' from the teachers in 1999, former deputy education minister Fong Chan Onn had promised to settle the problem.

However, the issue has remained unresolved. Last year, Dong Jiao Zong raised the matter again with deputy education minister Hon Choon Kim. A letter sent to the minister last April yielded no response.

Dong Jiao Zong also urged the authorities to do away with the requirement of a credit in the SPM Bahasa Malaysia for temporary teachers.

"Demanding the return of the 'extra pay' is not fair to the temporary teachers. It shows that the ministry does not respect them. It is contrary to the effort of the ministry in protecting the professional image of the teachers," said Dong Jiao Zong in a statement released today.