The import of Chinese teachers from China

The import of Chinese teachers from China is an encouraging proposal by the government as this could further strengthen bilateral tie between the two countries and make Malaysia the education hub of the ASEAN region.

However, in order to solve the shortage of Mandarin language teachers in the school, Chinese teachers in Chinese School, local sources should first be considered such as recognising UEC Exam to allow UEC graduates to join the teaching profession with an aim to train them to teach the Mandarin language in both national and vernacular school and as teachers in Chinese schools.

The employment of teachers from China is supposedly to solve the shortage of Chinese teacher in Chinese vernacular schools. If they are sent to national schools as Mandarin language teachers, it could cause communication break down and eventually it may have negative impact on this government policy of taking teachers from China.

This problem can be solved by simply having more students trained in local institution of higher learning, such as teachers training colleges or universities to teach Mandarin language and/or Chinese teachers in Chinese vernacular schools.

The use of locals in the teaching profession could retain local talents and increase the income of the people and provide employment opportunities to our citizens.

In order for Malaysia to achieve developed nation status in 2020, the foremost requirement is to retain local talents to reduce brain drain. In fact, the reliance on imported teachers is a burden to the economy and should be minimized. Train our own citizens should be a priority.

Anyway, the proposal of the government to bring in teachers from China is a sign of its commitment to the Chinese education development and a way to resolve the shortage of Mandarin language teachers in national school and Chinese teacher in vernacular schools.