NUTP says teachers have been spending their own money not only on paper and writing tools, but also on more expensive items like printers, ink cartridges and laptops.

PETALING JAYA:

The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) says the government has shown no concern over the issue of teachers having to use their own money to buy teaching supplies.

Its president, Aminuddin Awang, said the issue emerged years ago and had not been receiving the attention it deserved.

He was commenting on a Twitter message posted last Monday in which a netizen claimed that teachers were buying A4 paper for their classes due to a lack of funding to their schools.

Watch the video here.

Aminuddin said teachers were spending their own money not only on paper and writing tools, but also on more expensive items such as printers, ink cartridges and laptops.

“We don’t see people in any other profession in our country having to use their own money like this,” he said.

“For online lessons, teachers use their own internet data and laptops. Not to mention the money they spend to ensure that their classrooms are comfortable and meet the requirements of the administrators.

“Schools are not given adequate financial allocations and the government needs to make this a priority.”

Aminuddin said NUTP was disappointed that the authorities had not taken the issue seriously, adding this was why it had dragged on for so long.

A headmaster who declined to be named described A4 paper as a school’s “staple food” but said most schools were unable to provide sufficient amounts due to financial constraints.

“Schools often ask for donations of A4 paper from parents, but it is purely voluntary,” he said.

He said schools would usually bring up the matter with the parent-teacher associations before venturing to raise funds.

The post on Twitter has received an overwhelming response from netizens, with several revealing that some parents have to pay RM10 a year for printing because certain schools lack the funds to buy ink and paper.

One netizen said the practice of raising funds to buy printer cartridges was in place when she was in school nearly a decade ago. She said she did not expect it to continue until today.

Another netizen said some teachers even had to pay for their classroom curtains.

FMT has contacted education minister Radzi Jidin’s office and the ministry’s corporate communications department and is awaiting their comments.

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