By: Rosli Mansor Ahmad Razali
IPOH: The MADANI Government, through the Ministry of Education (MOE), announced today, of 12 new initiatives involving hundreds of millions of ringgit in allocations during the 55th National-Level Teachers’ Day Celebration held at a hotel here.
Carrying the theme “Guru Bitara Nadi Negara” (Exceptional Teachers, The Nation’s Pulse), the celebration symbolised appreciation for teachers who are not only educators but also key figures in shaping the country’s future.
The ceremony was officiated by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and attended by more than 3,000 educators from across the country.
Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek and Perak Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad.
In her speech, Fadhlina said this year’s celebration focused on uplifting the teaching profession in nurturing holistic individuals based on MADANI values, namely capability, wellbeing, creativity, respect, confidence and compassion.
Among the key initiatives announced was the continuation of free Google Certified Educator (GCE) Level 1 and Level 2 certification courses for teachers to strengthen their digital literacy.
“The government is also introducing a Special Federal Training Award (HLP) for teachers serving in challenging schools, including Hospital Schools, floating schools and rural schools in remote areas.
“In addition, the Federal Teaching Scholarship will be offered to school leaders pursuing postgraduate studies at the master’s level,” she said.
She added that the Ministry of Education, through the Tun Hussein Onn Teacher Foundation (YGTHO), had also allocated RM1 million to strengthen the implementation of the NODE (Network Offline Digital Environment) Project in rural and island schools.
According to her, the project was introduced to ensure that access to digital learning could continue even without internet connectivity.
At the same time, the MADANI Government has allocated RM169 million to provide devices to schools nationwide.
“An additional RM100 million has also been allocated for the maintenance and upgrading of teachers’ rooms, bringing the total allocation to RM200 million.
“Meanwhile, an extra RM50 million has been allocated for the maintenance of teachers’ quarters, increasing the total allocation to RM110 million to ensure a more comfortable living environment for educators,” she said.
Fadhlina also announced that the manual co-curricular recording system would be abolished, with schools given autonomy to manage their own recording methods before entering students’ co-curricular data into the PAJSK system.
Additionally, RM10.5 million has been allocated to provide additional reading materials for all 10,515 preschool classes nationwide.
The MOE has also allocated RM122.4 million in the first phase to support strategic programmes for schools and students.
In an announcement that received loud applause from attendees, the ministry, through YGTHO, also introduced an RM1,000 incentive for every teacher whose child achieved 10As in the 2025 SPM examination.
As a gesture of appreciation to parents and the community for continuously supporting schools and teachers, the government also announced a 50 percent moratorium on school canteen rental payments for six months.
During the same event, several major awards were presented by the Prime Minister, including the World’s Best School recognition awarded to SK Putrajaya Presint 11 (1).
Also receiving recognition were Ahmad Rafee Che Kassim, who was named National Education Leadership Figure, and Abdul Rasid Bakar, who received the National Teacher Figure Award.
