NUTP SUPPORTS GOVT'S MOVE FOR NO TIME-BASED PROMOTION FOR UNDERPERFORMING TEACHERS

BANGI, July 13 (Bernama) -- The government’s move to exclude teachers, who are negligent, underperforming and not disciplined, from the time-based promotion system is very important to ensure the quality of teachers as well as their productivity is in line with the grades they hold.

In full support of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement on the matter, the National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) president Aminuddin Awang said the move was also necessary so that only truly qualified teachers were promoted.

“Even in the current situation, our “time-based” 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 here today.

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Earlier Anwar, when was officiating the event, said the government accepted the principle of "time-based" promotion, but insisted that for teachers who underperform and are negligent, the facility will be excluded.

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

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

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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 (SSPA) 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 grade of DG29 but after 33 years of work, retires on grade DG29 as well," he also said.

Established in 1974, NUTP is a combination of two teachers' unions, namely the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and Kesatuan Kebangsaan Guru-Guru Sekolah Kebangsaan, Malaysia Barat (KKGSK), and it functions as a union for the teaching profession.

-- BERNAMA