National Union of the Teaching Profession secretary-general Fouzi Singon said the union submitted a proposal on the matter to the ministry last month.

“It will be brought to a committee meeting, and we hope the ministry will consider it,” he told FMT.

Fouzi’s comments followed the death yesterday of Nur Atiqah My Yusoff, 30, the wife of Izzuddin, who was allowed to return to Kelantan in October to be with her after multiple failed applications.

The 34-year-old teacher had sought a transfer from Sarawak back to the peninsula to be with his wife, who was battling stage four cancer.

Izzuddin, who was posted to SJK(C) Ming Wok in Kanowit, had reportedly travelled to Kota Bharu in Kelantan from Sarawak every two weeks to be with his wife, and made applications for a transfer when her situation worsened.

His plight caught the attention of netizens after he shared his situation on Facebook, saying his repeated applications had been rejected.

Fouzi said the education ministry eventually approved a temporary transfer of Izzuddin’s posting so that he could be with his wife.

“However, this means that according to the rules, he will return to his original school (in Sarawak) after this,” he said.

Fouzi said incoming teachers had already been informed about the ministry’s rule that no transfer requests would be allowed in the first three years of service.

He said several factors were taken into consideration for transfer requests, including vacancies in the requested state.

A total of 45,336 transfer requests were approved between 2017 and June this year, with priority given to teachers in long-distance marriages.

Education minister Fadhlina Sidek said in the Dewan Rakyat that the category saw the most approvals made for reasons of health or security.