GOV'T CLARIFIES PAY RULES FOR COS TEACHERS MOVING TO PERMANENT POSTS 

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 (Bernama) -- The determination of the initial salary for teachers appointed permanently from Contract of Service (CoS) appointments is bound by the Public Officers (Appointment, Promotion and Termination of Service) Regulations 2012, which only take into account experience gained after obtaining professional teaching qualifications for the purpose of salary alignment.

Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said the regulations governing salary matters and appointments fall under the jurisdiction of the Education Service Commission (SPP), and any application for salary alignment can only be considered based on recognised experience according to the specifications of the service scheme.

In the case of CoS teachers, he said the period before the professional qualification is obtained cannot be used for determining their initial salary upon being absorbed into permanent posts, even though they had enjoyed annual salary increments while serving on contract.

“SPP, as the appointing authority for the education service, decided in February 2020 that all candidates appointed on contract as Education Service Officers in grade DG41 or DG9 who do not yet possess a professional teaching qualification must undergo a new interview for permanent appointment after obtaining the qualification.

“When they enter as CoS teachers, they do not have the professional certificate. Once they obtain it, we will call them for an interview and the majority will be absorbed into our system,” he said during a Special Chamber session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a motion by Tan Hong Pin (PH-Bakri) regarding the issue of the initial salary determination for CoS teachers who are offered permanent positions, as some experience a reduction in salary after being appointed permanently.

According to Wong, the CoS scheme was introduced in 2019 as a mechanism to allow individuals without a teaching qualification to serve in schools and subsequently undergo professional training at an Institute of Teacher Education (IPG).

He said the scheme functions only as a temporary entry pathway to address teacher shortages and provides opportunities for candidates without education qualifications to obtain professional certification while receiving a salary.

He added that although many teachers have expressed concern over salary reductions after obtaining their qualifications, the welfare of teachers is always prioritised, and the opportunities offered under the CoS scheme — including guaranteed placement for professional studies at IPG and a high likelihood of permanent absorption — were not available before 2019.

Wong said the ministry has also implemented improvements, including setting a higher minimum salary for the DG9 scheme under the Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA) as well as enhancing benefits for contract officers through related human resource circulars.

“… we need to balance all requests or considerations from various parties. We look after our CoS teachers, we look after our permanently appointed teachers. We look after teachers under the SSPA, and we also look after those under the previous SSM (Malaysian Remuneration System),” he said.

-- BERNAMA