Teachers can be called back during school break, Dewan told

Teachers can be instructed to attend work during school term holidays, but not exceeding half of the school term holidays in a school year, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying said this was based on the ministry's Letter Number 11 of 2017 which also states that the order to attend duty covers the task of supervising examinations, taking courses and preparation for meetings at the beginning of the school year.

"Although this is not a routine task that needs to be done every day, it is also part of a teacher's job," she said to a supplementary question from Vivian Wong Shir Yee (PH-Sandakan) on whether teachers could be called back to duty during school holidays.

Lim also said that so far, no special allowance would be given to teachers who carry out tasks outside the classroom, including those who attend school management meetings on weekends.

However, she said that if teachers are ordered to work outside the school, they are eligible for travel claims.

"This is at the moment, but we will take note of the issues raised and we will look into them," she said to another question from Nurul Amin Hamid (PN-Padang Terap) on whether the government would introduce special incentives or allowances for DG41 grade teachers who carry out assignments away from class.