This is because not everyone who is academically qualified turns out to be a good teacher.
Its secretary-general Harry Tan urged the education ministry to “search every nook and corner and turn every stone to ensure only the best were selected as the profession was undergoing challenging times that needed teachers who were willing to face them.
“If you select just about anyone who wants a job, he or she may not be able to empathise with the students, and they will be left out.
“This is besides ensuring that the candidate must be trained for the job by an accredited institution,” he told FMT when contacted.
Tan said priority should also be given to those who were strong bilinguals or who were proficient in more than one language, as this would be a great asset.
“The post-Covid-19 era requires teachers of different calibre with multiple talents. Don’t just pick anyone, the selection process must be stringent.”
He was commenting on education minister Radzi Jidin’s recent announcement that the ministry will employ 18,702 teachers to address the shortage of teachers in Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor and Johor.
There are not enough teachers in primary schools to teach English, History, Special Education and Islamic Education, while in secondary schools, more teachers are needed for Bahasa Melayu, English and Islamic Education.
Tan said once they were selected, the ministry should strictly follow its set of regulations – without fear or favour – to ensure that the teachers performed at their best level.
“For example, the newbies have one to three years of probation and the administrators should only confirm their positions if they are suitable for the job. If they are not, it’s best they are asked to leave,” he said.
Yesterday, former minister Rafidah Aziz said Malaysia must not play a “numbers game” by rushing to hire more teachers.
It was important to focus on the quality of the entire education infrastructure, as that would determine the future of the nation, the former international trade and industry minister said.