Teachers must use incentive payment responsibly

The Star

By HAH FOONG LIAN

IPOH: Teachers receiving incentive payment for teaching Math and Science in English must use the money for the purpose it is meant for.

“The money is meant for teachers to improve their proficiency in English so that they can help schoolchildren do the same,” Education Ministry’s deputy director-general (Schools) Datuk Noor Rezan Bapoo Hashim said after opening the 45th annual inspectorate of schools seminar held here on Monday.

Noor Rezan stressed that the incentive payment was coming from the people’s pocket and the teachers receiving it must be accountable for it.

“Teachers who take the money and do not try to improve themselves are extremely irresponsible,” she said.

“This has to do with their integrity and work ethics,” she added.

The incentive, introduced in 2005, provides graduate teachers who teach Math, Science and English with a payment of 5% more of their salary while non-graduate teachers, teaching those subjects, are paid 10% more.

Noor Rezan pointed out that if there was no improvement in the proficiency of English in schoolchildren, it showed that the teachers were not putting in the effort required to help the pupils.

“They cannot give the excuse that the children are weak in their studies,” she said.

“The money is given to you and you are duty bound to improve yourself to help the children,” she said.

Earlier, Noor Rezan reminded the inspectorate of schools to carry out their duty with ethics and integrity.

“If your own integrity is in question, how do you expect to correct other people?” she asked.

She also reminded them to be objective and not be swayed by their friends or relatives when carrying out their duty in schools.