KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 — The entry of foreign teachers into this country is managed by non-governmental organisations (NGO) and thus not within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education (MOE).
Minister of Education Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid urged the ministry or the relevant departments to monitor the screening of foreign teachers.
“When they arrived under the NGO capacity, they did not conduct formal learning sessions and were only teaching part time.
“For schools that conduct formal learning, they must be registered with the Ministry of Education,” he told reporters after launching the 60th anniversary celebration of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) and DBP’s Strategic Plan 2016-2020 here, today.
He was commenting on the need to revise the guidelines for the entry of foreign teachers into the country following the case of paedophile Richard Huckle, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the British court.
Huckle,30, pleaded guilty to 71 charges of sex abuse of children in Malaysia since 2005 and conducted English classes for the poor Christian community in Kuala Lumpur.
Mahdzir said foreign teachers coming here under the NGOs have to pass screening by the Ministry of Home Affairs (Moha) before allowed to enter.
“Then, we will see what their duties are and where they will be on duty. If in school, they need to be registered with the Ministry of Education,” he added.
In a statement on June 2, the MOE said there was no link between Huckle and the ministry via any education programme.
On DBP’s Strategic Plan, Mahdzir said the agency needs to be brave and serious to implement change and reform in line with the government’s aspiration.
It includes seven National Key Result Areas (NKRAS) including the empowerment of Malay as the language of knowledge, the expansion of Malay language user groups, the construction and development of skilled employees and empowering publications in the Malay language. — Bernama
