A total of 8,462 teacher candidates are expected to be placed in schools nationwide this September as part of the Education Ministry’s (MOE) ongoing efforts to address teacher shortages.
Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said the placement involves 5,829 candidates from the Bachelor of Teaching Programme and 2,633 reserve candidates.
He said the move is among the ministry’s concrete measures to ensure the demand for teaching staff in primary and secondary schools is adequately met.
“The ministry continues to prioritise matters related to teacher placement and maintaining a balanced distribution of new teachers nationwide.
“This is to ensure teaching and learning activities in schools can be carried out effectively,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Wong was responding to a question from Salamiah Mohd Nor (PN-Temerloh) regarding concrete steps taken to resolve teacher placement issues amid ongoing shortages in schools.
He said the current teacher workforce stands at 422,325, with an overall placement rate of 98 per cent, in line with the staffing requirements set by central agencies.
As of June, the ministry had placed 8,042 new teachers to fill vacancies and meet subject requirements in primary and secondary schools nationwide.
Wong added that 549 students from the Postgraduate Diploma in Education Programme are expected to graduate in October 2026 and are scheduled to be placed in schools in January 2027.
Meanwhile, the Education Service Commission (SPP) is currently conducting interviews for the 2026 teacher recruitment intake through the open market recruitment process, which began in May and is expected to conclude in October.
He said the ministry has also introduced several proactive measures, including conducting permanent teacher recruitment exercises twice a year.
The mySPP teacher application portal has also remained open throughout the year to provide wider opportunities for qualified candidates to apply for teaching positions.
