THE Education Ministry (MOE) should not be actively deleting and blocking comments from contract teacher candidates who are demanding an explanation as to why 90% of them were not recruited, Teo Nie Ching said.

Teo was referring to the ministry’s decision to cut out 90% of teacher candidates from its 2021 contract of service (COS) programme.

“I have received a lot of feedback from candidates that their comments have been deleted by the admin of the education minister’s Facebook page,” she said in a statement today.

“There were some who were even blocked by his admin.”

The Kulai MP said the MOE and the Education Service Commission (SPP) should have a dialogue session and not act this way.

“The candidates are still waiting for a chance to have a dialogue with the minister and SPP so that all their questions can be answered honestly and professionally,” Teo said.

Yesterday, the former deputy education minister questioned whether it was true that 90% of candidates were not recruited after waiting six months to find out the results of their interview.

Comments on the article which was posted on The Malaysian Insight’s Facebook page saw many demanding an explanation.

User Aida Isma Idris said: “Is this the behaviour of a minister who is professional? Afraid to come forward to give an explanation. To the extent of blocking people on Facebook when they speak up.”

Another Facebook user, Nia Zulaika, said, “Don’t be a coward, come forward and give us an explanation.”

Others said they felt that their rights had been taken away from them. 

The COS 2021 interview for one-off recruitment of Grade DG41 teachers was conducted from November 1-14 last year.

The results of the interview were supposed to be announced on November 27 but were delayed until last Saturday.

Education Minister Mohd Radzi Jidin said on the same day the COS interview results were out, and that SPP had agreed to extend the contract of 2,600 teachers appointed in the June 2020 intake. – June 1, 2022.