PTK BLUES: Misery for a DG44 teacher

By: M.T., Johor Baru

I AGREE wholeheartedly with T.L. Tuah of Kuala Lumpur about the PTK (Penilaian Tahap Kecekapan) examination for government employees ("Teachers need a better system" -- NST July 16).

My first and second degrees were both from local universities. In August 2006, I went for the PTK course (for teachers on the DG44 scale), did my assignment and sat for the "ujian akhir kursus". I was fairly confident of getting Level III (a pass) for both components.

In February last year, I was informed that I had obtained a Level I for both components, meaning that I had scored less than 49 per cent and will need to resit the whole test. I was stunned. If I had not been made of sterner stuff, I would have gone into a depression.

One cannot imagine how demoralising it can be for a teacher of more than 20 years' experience to be given such a slap in the face.

I decided to ask for a reassessment, for which I had to fork out RM200. My colleagues said I was wasting my money but I had great faith that justice would be done.
After six months, the reassessment results were sent to me. Guess what I obtained? Assignment: Level I (no change) and "Ujian Akhir Kursus": Level II, with an overall result of Level II (which means I have to repeat a component).

But that was not the end of the story. At least T.L. Tuah had a chance to resit the PTK exam.

There is a form to apply for a resit. The paperwork is done by the school clerk and then submitted to the district education office to be forwarded to the state education board and then to Kuala Lumpur.

Due to unknown reasons, my colleague (who failed to obtain Level III for one of the components) and I didn't get to resit the PTK exam, simply because we never received any exam slip, although we had dutifully filled up the forms.

Now, after reading T.L. Tuah's letter, I have doubts as to the point of taking the exam. What is the point of sitting for an exam when the results seem a foregone conclusion?

Indeed, "miserable" is a very apt term to describe senior teachers on the DG44 or DG48 scale who have reached their maximum pay on the scale.

Is it too much for us senior teachers to ask for a little justice? We have been serving faithfully for years but what do we get in return? Indeed, it is high time for a change to the PTK exam, which is a poor way to measure the skills of teachers and a highly suspect form of evaluation because there is no transparency.

The New Strait Times Online: 24 Julai 2008