Union supports excluding underperforming teachers from time-based promotion

The national teachers’ union has thrown its support behind Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement to exclude problematic teachers from the time-based promotion system.

This is necessary to ensure only truly qualified teachers were promoted, said National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) president Aminuddin Awang today.

“Even in the current situation, our time-based system hinges on excellence and is not automatic.

“We have an evaluation by the head of the department and for promotion, the criteria we look at is excellence in terms of marks and performance,” he said when met by reporters after attending the NUTP Golden Jubilee Celebration Ceremony today.

When officiating the celebration, Anwar said the government in principle accepted the time-based promotion system but that negligent, underperforming, and indisciplined teachers would be excluded.

The event was also attended by Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, Public Service Department director-general Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz, and Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari.

Aminuddin said through the time-based promotion, graduate teachers in grade DG41, who have served for eight years will be promoted to grade DG44, then eight years from that to DG48, six years after that to DG52, and three years later to DG54.

Earlier in his speech, Aminuddin requested that the government improve or maintain promotions on a time-based basis for educators in the Public Service New Remuneration Scheme that will be announced later.

He said this system was among the best initiatives by the government in a long time which will help about 450,000 educators nationwide to be promoted after reaching a certain period of service.

“The government has introduced the time-based system for teachers because we have 450,000 teachers but only 10,223 schools.

“Therefore, if there is no ‘time-based’ (system), then out of the 450,000 teachers only a few of them can be promoted… For example, entering (service) on the grade of DG29 but after 33 years of work, retires on grade DG29 as well,” he also said.

- Bernama

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