Dayak National Congress questions Putrajaya on closing three teachers training institutes in Sarawak

Statement by Mengga Mikui, DNC president

The Dayak National congress (DNC) is questioning the motive of the Federal Government in closing the three teachers training institutes.

DNC president Mengga Mikui (seated, centre) with other DNC board members

For the last two years the state government has been upbeat about bringing in new things to Sarawak particularly on education.

Everybody has been complaining about the education malaise in the state – quality of education being the consequence of teaching quality; lack of local teachers due the flooding of Sarawak schools with teachers from Malaya; and unemployable graduates as a result of inability to communicate well in the English language.

We are all sick and tired of the mediocrity in our education system; not to mention of other the dissatisfactions in the overall performance of the country due to lack of our competitiveness at the international level- also due to quality education.

If the Chief Minister had been complaining of being sick and tired of Putrajaya in failing to give Sarawak their due in terms of allocation, it only means that we have come to a boiling point where the government is now no longer operating well as far as the welfare of the state is concerned.

We have never come across the State Government expressly state its disappointment in Putrajaya.

The Chief Minister had envisioned Sarawak to be a progressive and advanced State through an English medium education.

So much had been promised during the last two PRN11 – particularly on usage of English in schools in Sarawak and 90% local teachers in Sarawak.

Now with this disclosure, we can only speculate that this is a direct frontal on the State’s plan to have 90% local teachers in Sarawak Schools. If the current number of teachers colleges in the State could not fulfil the teaching needs of the State, how is only one college going to do that?

Even the Minister-in-Charge of education for the State also complained of not having been consulted on the matter. For now we have to forget the 2018 target of achieving 90% local teachers in our schools.

What makes the matter even more critical is the fact that the State’s plan to have English medium of education is impossible. This is because there is simply no way that we can have the teaching personnel to teach English as the teaching force will only be supplied by Bahasa Melayu teaching colleges from Malaya.

Our State Government had been a staunch supporter of Putrajaya, so much so that we have been described as the BN government fixed deposit. The current PM had visited Sarawak in no less than 50 times – a record unmatched by any previous PMs. This has been acclaimed because of his love for Sarawak. Many fall for it.

Why at this critical juncture that Putrajaya just pour the cold water on the Sarawak State Government’s popularity which is being exploited through its popular plan?

Is it because the Chief Minster had been calling the Federal Government ‘stupid’ a number of times? Is it because Putrajaya is trying to rein in the State Government? Or is it because that Putrajaya simply has no fund to operate these teachers colleges?

In any event, Sarawak is the ultimate loser. We can’t have our 90% local teachers in our schools. We wouldn’t have the ability to produce teachers to teach in English medium.

Not to mention that our locals employed I these colleges will be out of jobs. But over and above all, it brings education down.

The regression on education is a regression in development. A nation that is behind in education is a nation that is likely to fail. Is this what we are heading to as a State and a nation as whole? These questions require answers. Only the government can answer them. - Oct 31, 2016.