SEREMBAN: A claim by the National Union of the Teaching Profession that some 10,000 teachers had been applying to retire early annually in recent years is worrying, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (pic).

       The Umno deputy president noted this could affect the quality of the education system.

       He said the Education Ministry needed to explain why so many were choosing to go on optional retirement when they could still contribute.

       "The NUTP's estimates also far exceed the statistics from the ministry released on Nov 9, last year, which stated it received only 4,360 applications for optional retirement from teachers starting January 2021.

       "The ministry has to intervene and arrest this trend as the early retirement of teachers, especially the experienced ones, is a huge loss to the country," he said in a statement.

       NUTP secretary-general Wang Heng Suan in a statement on Monday (April 18) said the trend in recent years was worrying as most of these were experienced teachers who were either in their early or mid-50s.

       He said some teachers were probably no longer interested in the profession due to the online learning and teaching introduced due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

       Teachers, he said, were also unhappy as they were burdened with more non-teaching responsibilities.

       Wang said some teachers may have also been pressured to leave as poor internet quality for online teaching had made the teaching process tougher.

       The ministry, he said, could counter this by hiring assistant teachers to take over some of their duties.

       Wang said the ministry had carried out a pilot project in 2019 when it hired some 10,000 assistant teachers on a contract basis in Kedah, Sabah and Melaka but this was discontinued due to lack of funds.

       Mohamad said the challenges faced by teachers during the pandemic could have taken a toll on their emotional and psychological well-being.

       "This does not include the fact that they may be burdened with clerical work that eventually interferes with their actual task.

       "If this trend continues, the nation will face a more critical education crisis," he said.

       The Parliamentary Select Committee for Education, he said, should also seek clarification from the ministry on the matter.

       This, he said, was important as teachers play an important role in the nation's development and in shaping the personalities and thoughts of students.

       "There should be no compromise on their welfare.

       "There is surely something wrong if so many teachers are choosing to go on optional retirement while they are still productive and can contribute effectively," he added.