This is some alarming news!
According to Free Malaysia Today, the Ministry of Education stated that they will no longer be providing allowances to teachers undergoing training. This will be effective from June 2018.
Source: FMT
Currently, existing trainee teachers will still receive a RM430 monthly living expense allowance along with their travel allowance that does not exceed RM500 per year until they graduate, according to Deputy Education Minister Chong Sin Woon.
Trainee teachers affected by the allowance cut will have to apply for a loan from the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) to help cover expenses for their day-to-day living.
However, affected trainees will still have their four-year undergraduate degree course in Education (PISMP), which costs RM27,831, funded by the Ministry of Education.
In light of this news, National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Harry Tan expressed that the short notice given for the announcement was unfair to parents and trainees alike.
Even Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) commissioner, Lok Yim Pheng urged the Ministry of Education to reconsider their decision, saying she knew at least thirty percent of trainees’ parents are 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BRIM) recipients at one of the training institutes.
Source: Malay Mail
“What is the situation like in other institutes? How will the poor cope?” said Lok Yim Pheng, expressing that many of these trainee teachers would go into debt.
What do you think of this move by the education ministry? Is it fair? Let us know!
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