Education Ministry deploys more than 18,000 teachers nationwide

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 18,241 new teachers have been deployed to schools nationwide as of September, bringing the teacher staffing rate to 98 per cent.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek said the placements were part of the ministry's ongoing efforts to reduce workloads and safeguard teachers' physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing.

She said this in a written parliamentary reply today to Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah), who asked about the effectiveness of the Teacher Care initiative and the ministry's long-term plans to address teacher burnout and emotional wellbeing.

Fadhlina said the ministry had adopted a comprehensive approach involving psychological and counselling support, workplace wellbeing and teachers' professional development.

"The ministry has implemented seven Immediate Measures for Teacher Wellbeing since 2023 to reduce non-academic duties.

"These include abolishing competitions or ceremonies with little impact, expanding the appointment of non-teachers as public examination invigilators and strengthening teachers' autonomy in teaching and learning.

"The ministry also abolished the requirement to record 'Good Practices' in the Student Discipline Misconduct System (SSDM) in December 2025.

"It also discontinued manual recording of the Physical Activity, Sports and Co-curricular Assessment (PAJSK) effective May 16 this year to reduce administrative workloads," she said.

Fadhlina said additional support personnel, including 564 MySTEP teaching assistants and 300 hostel warden assistants, had helped simplify teachers' daily responsibilities.

She said the abolition of the ministry's Training Management System (SPLKPM) had also helped reduce their administrative workload.

Digital platforms such as the Digital Educational Learning Initiative Malaysia (DELIMa) and the Education Management Information System (MOEIS) were also being widely used, she said.

"On emotional and mental wellbeing, the ministry plans to conduct psychological wellbeing profiling using the Psychological Wellbeing Inventory (IKPsi) for all teachers over five years in the first round.

"Teachers whose psychological wellbeing has not reached at least the moderately high level will receive targeted interventions from registered counsellors according to their needs.

"The ministry has also established an online Psychological Wellbeing Hub and trained 40 education counsellors and guidance and counselling teachers specialising in mental health to strengthen the capacity to manage crises at the organisational level," she said.