SIBU, Oct 13 — The Education Service Commission (SPP) has been urged to immediately clear the air on the recruitment of teachers under the contract of service (COS) by releasing the name list of those called for interview to the public.

Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee said the name list should also be extended to the Sarawak Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD).

"A blunder, non-transparency, and insensitivity by SPP in the recruitment of teachers under COS, which was initially meant for Sarawakians and agreed upon, has caused a lot of criticism from Sarawakians to be directed at MEITD, especially at our minister and deputy ministers.

"Therefore, ⁠SPP should come forward to clear the air immediately! SPP should make known to the public those who were called for interviews under COS.

"Also, there are actually cases, where non Sarawakians were called for interviews under COS. These names (of interviewees) should also be given to MEITD – the Ministry responsible for education in Sarawak,” said Dr Annuar, when asked on the special recruitment drive today.

He added that this demand comes personally from him because he has asked the same matter from SPP Sarawak but received no response.

"May I remind the public that recruitment has nothing to do with MEITD and is solely under the prerogative of SPP, but it doesn’t mean we will keep quiet on matters that have been agreed upon earlier between MEITD and MoE (Ministry of Education).”

He stressed that MEITD has always fought for the betterment of education to benefit Sarawakians.

"We (MEITD) are not the ones who betrayed the understanding, but SPP, which handled (the exercise), has caused confusion and dissatisfaction (among Sarawakians).”

Recently, it was reported that the over 1,700 shortlisted candidates under the special teacher recruitment drive for Sarawak would include 300 applicants with teaching qualifications from outside the state.

Disclosing this in a recent press conference here, Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn had expressed disappointment in SPP for not keeping its promise of allowing the 1,733 vacancies available under the special recruitment drive to be filled by Sarawakians.

According to Sagah, the ministry had previously written to the commission seeking for the exercise to be for Sarawakians only.

The Sarawak Teachers Union (STU) had also regarded SPP’s decision to open the special teacher recruitment drive for Sarawak to applicants nationwide as "inappropriate”. — The Borneo Post