STAGNATED TEACHERS WITH TEN YEARS' CONTINUOUS SERVICE (Emplacement on salary scale for Education Officer, Group III)

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Encik Sidek bin Saniff asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education if he will consider the emplacement of those stagnated teachers, who have done ten years' continuous service in the teaching Profession, on the salary scale for Education Officer, Group III.

The Minister for Home Affairs and Education (Mr Chua Sian Chin): Mr Speaker, Sir, teachers whose salaries stagnate at certain points on the Education Officer/Group III (EO/III) salary scale are either untrained or under-qualified. Among the teachers considered under-qualified are those trained under other schemes. For those untrained they may be considered for full emplacement on the EO/III salary scale if they obtain a Certificate-in-Education through part-time studies at the Institute of Education. For the under-qualified and the trained under other schemes teachers they may be considered for full emplacement on the EO/III salary scale if they had completed 10 years' service and found suitable through interviews. Such under-qualified and trained under other schemes teachers may also be considered for full emplacement on the EO/III salary scale if they had 10 years' service and obtained three GCE 'O' level passes, one of which must be the language of instruction.

As there are adequate avenues for teachers stagnated at certain points on the EO/III salary scale to be fully emplaced at that salary scale, my Ministry does not consider it appropriate to emplace such teachers fully on 10 years' continuous service alone.

Encik Sidek bin Saniff (Kolam Ayer): Mr Speaker, Sir, I would be most grateful if the Minister could enlighten the House as to how many teachers in this category were involved, how many of them got through and were emplaced on the EO/III salary scale ($1,030) by the Public Service Commission after an interview, and how many of them through self-development.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, there were originally 1,439 teachers in this category. Of this number, 1,003 were emplaced after an interview and 203 were emplaced after they had obtained three 'O' level passes. To-date there are 1,206 such teachers who have been emplaced on the EO/III salary scale. There are now still stagnating 233 teachers.

Encik Sidek bin Saniff: Mr Speaker, Sir, the figures show that there is only about one per cent of the total teaching population who have not been emplaced in the EO/III salary scale. It is about 50%, in fact not even halt compared to those who have been promoted recently in the promotion exercise. I would suggest to the Minister that he should discuss with the Minister for Finance, and not to pass the buck, that these teachers should be seriously considered for emplacement on the EO/III salary scale, say, on the basis of 12 or even 15 years of service.

My argument is this. Would the Minister agree that even if these teachers were emplaced on the EO/III salary scale, not all of them, that is, the 200-odd teachers, would reach the maximum of their salary scale when they reach the age of retirement? As we have always been talking about respecting our elders, would the Minister agree that here is an avenue where we can prove that we really appreciate our elders. This lot of teachers are among the elders in the teaching profession, and they have contributed immensely to the teaching profession.

Would the Minister also agree that by emplacing them on the EO/III salary scale, we can save them embarrassment or even nightmare, as put by one teacher by the surname of Lim who wrote to me hoping very much that a new deal could be given to them. We could once and for all erase these 200-odd "untouchables" of the teaching profession. Even the untouchables have every expectation in their next incarnation - Shudrah, Waisya, Ksatria or even Brahmin.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, may I say that the teachers are certainly not considered "untouchables." In fact, in my answer just now, I have said that there are now adequate avenues whereby these teachers can be emplaced on the EO/III salary scale. In fact, out of 1,439 such teachers, 1,206 have already been emplaced through these avenues. There is no reason why the rest of them cannot be emplaced through these avenues. I do not think the Ministry can do more than what has already been done.

Encik Sidek bin Saniff: Mr Speaker, Sir, most of the teachers, that is, more than 1,000 of them, have been emplaced through self-development, i.e. they have obtained three 'O' level passes, and not through interviews by the PSC. Secondly, these teachers are getting old. Age can sometimes catch up with a person and there is then no more vigour to learn. That is why I would like the Minister to consider, in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance, whether a continuous service of 12 years or even 15 years will be given consideration in future.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, my reply is that we would certainly like to encourage these teachers to develop themselves further. It is good for the Ministry to encourage them to self-develop, and the Ministry can recognise it by emplacing them on a higher salary scale through the present avenues.

Mr Sia Khoon Seong (Moulmein): Mr Speaker, Sir, would the Minister be able to say how many teachers from the English stream are in this category, as my union would be interested in helping them?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not able to give details as to how many of them are from the Malay stream, English stream or the Chinese stream. If the Member for Moulmein is interested, I shall supply him with the particulars.