Aside from delivering meals, Khairul Redzwan Ismail, 33, took up side gigs and odd jobs such as painting houses, helping with electrical wiring, and even working as a dropshipping agent to keep his family of five afloat.
Khairul’s average income of RM60 a day as a food delivery worker was far from enough to sustain his wife and three children.
While he was a Kafa teacher for 15 years, his wife, Noor Ainon Sa’abani, had been teaching for 18 years. The couple was last assigned to a school in the Klang Valley.
They were taken aback when Jais notified them on May 10 that their contract, which was supposed to end in 2024, was to be prematurely terminated this month for defying orders to get vaccinated.
Forty-four other Kafa teachers in Selangor who suffered the same fate are mulling suing Jais over the “unjust” termination of their contracts.
Refusing to disclose his reasons for rejecting the Covid-19 vaccine, Khairul insisted that this was a personal decision not mandated under Malaysian law.
The couple found it difficult to accept Jais’ decision, saying they had no issues with the department while carrying out their duties before this.
“For the 18 years I have served, I have not encountered any discipline issues until I went against the department’s orders to take the vaccine,” said Ainon.
“All of a sudden because I’m not following one directive, they immediately take action against us. Is this our fault?”
The past Ramadan and Aidilfitri season was extremely tense for those who had their allowances suspended as they lacked the funds to prepare for the festivities.
“I was keeping an eye on the calendar, as it was the fasting month and almost Hari Raya. It was difficult to make preparations. I was forced to work more to be able to pay for what we needed,” she said.
Although their current situation seemed bleak, Khairul and his wife were reluctant to become Kafa teachers in Selangor again, even if they were offered to return.
Last month, education minister Radzi Jidin announced that unvaccinated teachers would be allowed to teach in schools again after prohibiting them last October.
However, the decision did not impact Kafa teachers who were under the jurisdiction of the respective local Islamic affairs departments.
“Actually, when the education ministry announced that unvaccinated teachers could teach face to face and attend school again, I was really happy,” said Khairul. “But when I received the termination notice on May 10, I was disappointed.”