Call to ease burden on teachers in state

The Star

29-05-2025

THE plight of teachers and the importance of fostering nationhood among students took centre stage at the Johor state assembly.
Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz (Muda-Puteri Wangsa) voiced concern over the growing strain on educators, especially when they were expected to juggle non-teaching tasks.
She urged the state government to ensure that teachers were not weighed down by administrative duties, particularly as the Bangsa Johor Pilot Schools (SRBJ) initiative got underway.
'As the child of a teacher, I saw how my mother had to handle tasks such as planning lessons, managing the curriculum, overseeing facilities, handling administrative work and still keeping track of students' attendance.
'Please allow educators the space to focus on teaching Johor's students,' she said at the sitting in Bangunan Sultan Ismail, Kota Iskandar.
Amira Aisya also proposed integrating a teaching support system into the SRBJ initiative to enhance classroom instruction.
'This approach is already in place in many countries.
'If Malaysia isn't ready, Johor should take the lead and empower our educators to deliver quality education,' she said.
Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi previously described SRBJ as a transformative programme to raise the state's public education system to world-class standards by 2030.
It is aimed at addressing the challenges children face in an increasingly digital, borderless world.
Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah (BN-Mahkota) proposed including nationhood in the SRBJ syllabus, noting that while the programme emphasised STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and English, it also aimed to develop well-rounded, principled youth.
'While we aim to produce marketable individuals to meet job market demands, nationhood is equally important and should be included in the syllabus so that students understand the principles of the Rukun Negara and the Constitution.
'I suggest that nationhood be introduced as an additional subject in SRBJ to help develop patriotic and united youth who can navigate development and progress,' he said.