CONFIRMATION OF SERVICE OF TEACHERS (Policy)

Mr Sia Khoon Seong asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education whether his Ministry will review its present policy of requiring teachers seeking confirmation of service to pass Malay Standard 1, and whether equivalent qualification in Chinese, Tamil or English will also be deemed acceptable, so that a teacher, seeking confirmation, can offer in addition to his first language qualification one of the remaining three languages as the additional language requirement.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of Education is reviewing the Education Scheme of Service and the requirement to pass Malay Standard I for confirmation is one of the matters in the Scheme which is under review.

At present, Government officers in the Education Service are required to pass Malay Standard I for confirmation. This cannot be substituted by another official language. However, the requirement to pass Malay may be waived if the work and conduct of the teachers during their probation have been very good.