SHAH ALAM - Teachers, especially those who are older are believed to have made the decision to opt for early retirement because they were facing difficulties to carry out their duty during the Covid-19 pandemic.
West Malaysia Malay Teachers’ Association (KGMMB) president Jasni Md Kechik said this had happened because these teachers felt burdened by the standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place for work.
He said the situation also contributed to the trend of teachers' retiring early in Malaysia.
"These teachers, who are older may feel burdened with the implemented of SOPs for teaching during the pandemic.
"As a result, they believe it is better for them to retire," he told Sinar Harian.
However, Jasni said the reason behind why most teachers retired early was not due to the burden of tasks, but instead they wanted to spend time with their family and plan for their retirement.
He added that most of the teachers who made the decision were found to have passed the minimum period of their services.
"They are more eager to live their life with their family while they are still in good health.
"Besides that, I see that there are teachers who retire early because of their health condition. This is according to our research in the education office," he said.