Malaysia not appointing English teachers from Singapore, they are volunteers - PM

PUTRAJAYA: The claim that Malaysia will allegedly appoint English teachers from Singapore to teach in the country is not true, it is actually a volunteer programme, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said his discussion with his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong was on the possibility of establishing a programme involving assistance scheme for volunteers to teach English.

"What is wrong is that we will be purportedly appointing English teachers from Singapore...this is wrong.

"What I am talking about with the Singaporean PM is to organise an aid scheme of appointing volunteers who are paid by the Singaporean government to teach English in poor urban and rural areas as well as remote areas of Sabah and Sarawak," he said.

Anwar said this when speaking at the MADANI Aspiration Gathering of Public Service Counselling Associates (AKRAB) here today.

The media reported that some leaders hit out at the proposal to bring in English teachers from Singapore and also questioned the government's earlier statement that it wanted to carrying out austerity measures.

In other developments, Anwar said he had ordered a detailed investigation into the case of national and Selangor FC footballer Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim.

"There are a lot of noise about the abuse of a football player, the case of the murder of a disabled child (autistic child Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin). We are concerned, I happened to be the Prime Minister but I am also human.

"I also want to know why it is like this? Who would have the heart to brutally abuse and murder a child. As for me, I want the police to answer tomorrow but it has to go through (all) the processes (first)," he said.

As the top leader of the country, he understands the public's frustration regarding the two issues and wants the case to be brought to an end as soon as possible.

The body of Zayn Rayyan, 6, was found on Dec 6 lying in a stream near his home after being reported missing the day before and yesterday the child's parents were charged in the Sessions Court for neglecting the child leading to causing injury physical.

Faisal Halim reportedly suffered fourth degree burns as a result of being splashed with acid by an unknown individual at a shopping centre in Petaling Jaya on May 5.

-- BERNAMA