KUALA LUMPUR: The announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today of an additional five days of special annual leave (CRK) for education service officers who have served for more than 10 years, is part of the education transformation plan initiated by the Ministry of Education.

Senior Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin said the continuos efforts by the ministry to strengthen the teaching profession through a proposal to increase the CRK was accepted by the government as announced by the Prime Minister at the 18th Civil Service Premier Message Gathering (MAPPA XVIII), today.

"We hope those in the teaching profession can benefit from the new initiative," said Dr Radzi in his official Facebook posting today.

Meanwhile, for husband and wife Ahmad Aiman Muhammad Fadhil, 33, and Nurul Farhanis Syuhada Ibrahim, 33, both teachers, the additional CRK can be used in cases of emergency, especially during cases involving children or parents.

Ahmad Aiman, a teacher at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sentul 1 for 10 years, said the additional CRK can avoid the prospect of teachers applying for unpaid leave in cases of emegency once their 10 days CRK has been used up.


"Usually teachers who have worked for more than 10 years have children who are still growing and they can utilise the additional days in cases of emergency," he told Bernama when contacted today.

For Ahmad Nizam Daud, 45, who works as a teacher at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Maxwell, Kuala Lumpur, the CRK will offer teachers a choice in cases of emergency because applying for unpaid leave can be detrimental to their service record.

"Teachers who are in the profession for more than 10 years normally have children and cannot avoid cases of emergency when they fall sick. Teachers can also use the CRK when attending to their children who enroll into universities or visit them at their campus," said Ahmad Nizam.

-- BERNAMA