Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Government Teachers’ Union (KGKS) fully supports the State Government’s effort to address the anomaly in job grades at the Sabah Education Department (JPNS) by raising the matter with the Ministry of Education (MOE).
KGKS President Murkam Hussien said the issue, particularly involving the State Deputy Director of Education, has long been advocated by the union.
“According to the current State Education Department (JPNS) job chart, the grade for the State Deputy Director of Education and district education officers is the same, which is Grade 54.
“KGKS believes that the authority and responsibilities of both positions at the state and district levels are quite different. The role of the Deputy Director of Education is more significant and, therefore, KGKS supports the establishment of the Jusa C position to improve the job grade structure at JPNS,” he said.
He was commenting on a statement by Sabah Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk James Ratib regarding the issue.
On Friday, James was quoted as saying that the Sabah Government’s move to bring the job grade issue to KPM aims to ensure fairness in career pathways and strengthen the effectiveness of education administration in the State.
According to James, the existing job structure shows a significant gap, as the Deputy Director of JPNS is only at Grade 54, while the Director is at Grade Jusa B, with no Jusa C position as a link.
This situation not only creates injustice in terms of job hierarchy but also affects the motivation and morale of senior education officers, as the grade of the Deputy Director is equivalent to that of the District Education Officer (PPD), said James.
