Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) school leavers interested in teaching are encouraged to take up music, art and design courses to help meet the shortage of teachers trained in these subjects.

Education Deputy Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan said most schools lacked qualified music, art and design teachers to teach these important subjects.

"To this end, SPM school leavers applying to pursue their studies at the Teachers' Training Institute Malaysia (IPGM) are urged to take up art, music or design as their elective subjects," he told reporters after a press conference on the Education Opportunity Carnival for SPM and STPM here on Friday.

Kamalanathan said the three subjects were critical subjects as many teachers, especially those in Tamil (SJKT) and Chinese National Type (SJKC) schools were not keen in teaching them.

"Based on last year's projections, we require 380 teachers to teach these subjects in SJKT but we have not received any application for music, design and physical education subjects," he said.

He said generally, students gave the excuse that these subjects offered no good prospects, besides having little interest or no proficiency in the field.

The carnival, to be held at seven locations nationwide beginning today until March 27 is aimed at providing information on higher studies available at public institutions and universities.

Among educational agencies participating in the carnival are the Student Admission Management Division, Polytechnics, IPGM, National Youth Skills Institute (IKBN), Community Colleges and Industrial Training Institutes.

The Carnival will be held at the Sultan Abdul Halim Teacher Education Campus Sungai Petani tomorrow, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Polytechnic, Shah Alam on Sunday, Temerloh IKBN (March 13), Penang Free School (March 19), Ungku Omar Polytechnic, Ipoh (March 20), SMK Medini, Nusajaya Johor Baharu (March 26) and Raja Melewar Teacher Education Campus, Seremban (March 27)