Yesterday, the Deputy Minister said that teachers should be made to sign an agreement with the Government, along with university students and academics.

"Such a step is necessary to ensure that education be free from political motive," he added.

The National Union of Teachers opposes the proposal. Its secretary-general Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam said that teachers should be treated like professionals and that only a small percentage of teachers brought politics into the classroom and so it was unfair to make all teachers sign an agreement.

The Government should identify those who wreck the future of students instead of punishing over 280,000 teachers. The public are amazed at this type of measure.

QUALITY

For years, some lecturers, teachers and students side with UMNO and component parties of the Barisan Nasional. We could even see them championing BN during general elections. But, no ministers or deputy ministers have mentioned signing any agreement. A few teachers and lecturers even graduate to become ministers and deputy ministers.

Now, there are some voices of dissent. Oh, the Government is crying out for drastic measures for lecturers, teachers and students.

There are 31 teachers’ training colleges and one teachers’ university, aiming to improve the quality, inventiveness and innovation of teachers. Every year, the Government spends over RM60 million to train them. Does the Government mean that these colleges and university have failed?

The Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad thinks of making teachers into only intermediaries. Datuk Aziz even wants woman teachers, who are the majority, to plan their pregnancies so that their maternity leave will not interfere with the schools. They have a bee in their bonnets.

Whether making teachers into mere go-betweens or signing an agreement to behave is not a solution to the problem. The ministers detest what they claim as teachers inciting students to hate the Government.

Just as other people, lecturers, teachers, and students have dignity. Introducing such agreement affects their dignity. Most of them will uphold their dignity against spoiling the future of students.