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Teachers' Dilemma : To Be In Admin or To Be Academic Teachers

The first time news came of promotional posts for Form Six teachers was in December 2007.  That excited so many people... and then news came again of Master Teacher posts up for the taking.  In Sabah, anyway.  Promotional exercises came fast and furious and forms were being filled in by every teacher.  There were even cases of teachers filling in forms because they saw their friends filling in forms and they were afraid of being left behind. 

I remember when I was a DG44 Senior Assistant (Penolong Kanan) in school and there was an opportunity to get a DG48 post as a Form Six Academic Teacher.  I waffled for two weeks and finally gave in to the fear of being left behind and FILLED IN THE FORM!  Like so many other of my compatriots. 

And the result is... so many of my Senior Assistant friends are now stepping out of their administrative posts and taking up DG48 posts as Master Teachers or Form Six Academic Teachers.  Some are happy as they have been buckling under the stresses of administrative duties or they are teachers at heart and only took up the admin post as it was the only promotion opportunity that came their way.  However, some are unhappy (deep inside) as they LIKE the admin work but see no other opportunity of getting the DG48 promotion other than taking up the Master Teacher or Form 6 Acad Teacher post.  And when you have been in the position of making decisions for the whole school, to lose that 'power' can be deflating. 

A friend Lady J is presently pondering her choices.  She is currently Senior Assistant in a school and doing a good job.  She has just been offered a DG44 Master Teacher post backdated to the same date as her DG44 promotion.  So whichever post she takes up, it would be the same for her.  However friends are telling her that the Master Teacher post would be a better choice as in three years she can apply for a DG48 Master Teacher post (one of the special privileges of Master Teachers).  It's considered the fastest track for a teacher's career.  Her problem is that she has developed an affinity for admin work.  And I can see that she is good at what she does.

When she asked me what she should do, I couldn't answer.  She's the only one who can decide. 

But if she chooses the Master Teacher post, I think it will be a loss to the Sabah pool of 'pelapis'.  All these posts being given to so many senior teachers are playing havoc with the succession planning of the state....

But if you're a junior teacher, this can only mean good news for you, right?  You'll go up the ladder faster.... especially if you're interested in admin.

I'll probably face a similar dilemma within the next few months... wonder how 'bad' my dilemma will be.  Well, if I'm only offered one DG48 post, it's going to be a no-brainer, right?
 

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