Trials and Tribulations of a Teacher (Part 2)
All along you would expect that the principals/pengetuas would be supportive of their subordinates wanting to improve themselves. Every kind of thinkable obstacle was placed to stop teachers from going to the university.
By SpicaOne
Let me continue on this subject.
The Jabatan Pelajaran Negri (JPN) ssues a letter “Kelulusan Bagi Permohonan Mengikuti Kursus Secara Sambilan Di Bawah Program Pendidikan Jarak Jauh/Luar Kampus Peringkat Sarjana Lanjutan (PhD)/ Sarjana.”
This is an extract from such an approval letter from JPN, Johor:
2. Kelulusan ini adalah tertakluk kepada syarat- syarat berikut:
a. Kursus yang diikuti hanyalah selepas waktu pejabat atau hujung minggu dan ianya tidak sekali-kali boleh menjejaskan prestasi Perkhidmatan Awam serta kepentingan jabatan tuan. Tuan/puan hendaklah membuat pengakuan bahawa kursus yang diikuti tidak mengganggu tugas-tugas harian.
b. Tuan/puan boleh memohon Cuti Kursus Sambilan (CKS) bagi mengikuti Kursus Insentif secara penuh masa ( kuliah/tutorial/bengkel/seminar/kolokium dan latihan amali/ latihan industri) yang kurang daripada 30 hari serta boleh memohon cuti tanpa rekod mengikut Perintah Am Bab ‘C’ Para 44 bagi menghadiri peperiksaan yang disyaratkan oleh Institusi pengajian;
So the jokers at the ministry authorises cuti tanpa rekod for its idiot teachers to take leave to attend part time University courses after school hours or on weekends. They call this an incentive. The bloody fools cannot answer – Why take leave?
Now for the repercussions. My wife has taken her basic degree, her Masters and is now pursuing her PhD in English. She was a college trained teacher pushing on in her ambition. Good. All along you would expect that the principals/pengetuas would be supportive of their subordinates wanting to improve themselves. Every kind of thinkable obstacle was placed to stop teachers from going to the university. From extra classes, to extra field duties, to special marathon meetings on days of tutorials etc.
Last year, my wife who was teaching in the afternoon session, applied to her pengetua for cuti tanpa rekod leave in accordance with the JPNJ instructions to attend university tutorials. The pengetua had in hand a letter from the Johor General Hospital that I (husband) had serious medical difficulties that needed attention in the mornings.
I was medically boarded from work and my wife attends to me in the mornings and children assist me in the afternoons. The Pengetua insisted my wife take up teaching in the morning session.
After some convincing, the pengetua relented and allowed my wife to continue in the afternoon session but the pengetua refused to accept the cuti tanpa rekod for my wife to attend the university tutorials. The pengetua wanted my wife to take leave without pay to attend the tutorials although my wife had 30
days JPNJ authorized cuti tanpa rekod.
The pengetua’s reasoning was the tutorials were during school hours and not in accordance to the JPNJ letter. True. Then why the hell did JPNJ issue such a letter? This is because it is staffed by jokers who have no IQ and they copy and paste what has been done before without critical thinking.
I chided the JPNJ official who issued the letter. I was told “we issue this same letter to all officers/staff of JPN and they are all allowed to attend tutorials during office hours if they have to. None of their supervisors/Pengetuas objected or stopped them from going to the university. But your wife’s pengetua is an exception and she is stubborn. We cannot change her mind. We cannot force the pengetua to comply. We cannot interfere in this matter anymore. This is between your wife and the pengetua.”
My wife had chosen to pay for her education herself without applying for any loans. Her pengetua destroyed all my wife’s leave applications and instituted salary deductions for 14 days of university tutorials for year 2010. The reason the pengetua gave to JPNJ for the deductions to take place is “Diluluskan Cuti Tanpa Gaji tanpa sebarang sebab yang pada pendapat Ketua Jabatan adalah sebab yang munasabah selama … dan tidak layak menerima sebarang emolument mengikut Perintah Am Bab ‘C’(14(a).” This is a
blatant lie and both the pengetua and JPNJ is aware it is a lie.
The deductions can pay for over 2 semesters of university fees. It is painful for a one income family. Therein lays the anger when we read of the PM, DPM and every other joker saying that Malaysia needs more in the knowledge industry. Pengetuas must be issued serious guidelines not to impede the wish of teachers who want to upgrade their knowledge and JPNs must have more balls.
Happy Teachers Day.
