The Education Ministry has assured that volunteer English teachers from Singapore will not impact the recruitment and placement of local graduates and teachers.

The ministry, in a written reply at the Dewan Negara, said the recruitment of these volunteer teachers resulted from discussions between Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his counterpart Lawrence Wong.

The discussions were said to have been carried out in June and the recruitment would be funded by the Singaporean government.

The ministry highlighted that the proposal is currently being scrutinised, especially concerning its implementation in educational institutions under the Education Ministry.

This is to ensure it aligns with existing policies and regulations, while qualified volunteers are being identified to guarantee the quality of teaching and learning.

“This scheme aims to help improve the English proficiency of students in poor urban, suburban, and rural areas, including Sabah and Sarawak.

“Good command of English can help increase the country’s competitiveness, facilitate international trade, and enable access to the latest knowledge, specifically in science and technology,” it said.

The ministry was responding to a question from Senator Ti Lian Ker, who enquired about the impact of the volunteer initiative on local graduates and teachers.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry said that based on stakeholder engagement, there is no need to expand the Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih (SBJK) programme.

It said engagement sessions with NGOs, as well as state and local authorities, were held to gather input on providing education to homeless children who are citizens without documents.

These engagement sessions involved 11 states: Penang, Johor, Pahang, Terengganu, Kedah, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan, Perak, Sarawak, and Sabah, it said in response to a question from Senator Abun Sui Anyit regarding the challenges faced by the ministry in expanding the SBJK programme.

- Bernama

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