NUTP: Teachers under huge pressure to deliver

STRAIN: ’Stress levels shoot up during invigilations to assess performance’

JOHOR BARU: Their stress levels were most apparent when they knew of invigilators or inspectorates turning up to assess their performance, she added.

Lok was commenting on the case of a teacher who had forgotten about leaving her 5-year-old son alone in her MPV for more than six hours on Wednesday. The boy died.

A friend of the boy's parents had said the mother was under tremendous pressure on the day of the incident as Education Ministry officials were at the school to observe teachers in the classrooms.

Lok, however, said the case was a sensitive issue considering it was a police case and because the family was still mourning their loss.

"I feel empathy towards the teacher as I understand the pressure which teachers go through.

"I have experienced such pressure before, and I know teachers get stressed when officials come to their school to evaluate their performance.

"The pressure is such that some of them cannot sleep for two or three nights. Others even get distracted while driving and they don't know where they end up in."

She said many teachers wanted to give their full commitment at work and this might cause them to sacrifice their commitment for family and affect their wellbeing.

She said the NUTP would hold a discussion to come out with ways to address the issue of stress among teachers.

"There needs to be multiple approaches to the invigilation of teachers. Possibly, there needs to be a friendlier approach, or one in which the teachers are notified in advance about the invigilation."

- NEW STRAITS TIMES

Posted in: Perkhidmatan Guru