1,000 New Teachers to Sabah Schools

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor has reiterated that Sabah has always prioritised education for the people and that the government has ensured that every child will have access to education. Sabah has seen many initiatives for schools and students during Hajiji’s leadership.

Dato’ Haji Adzman Talib, Chairman of the Education Service Commission (Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Pendidikan or SPP) said that 1,000 new teachers were placed in schools in Sabah in 2025: 315 and 685 for primary schools and secondary schools respectively.

“By mid-2025, the teacher placement rate in Sabah was 97.78 per cent, with 44,058 teachers assigned,” Adzman said at a briefing to Hajiji on 2 October 2025 at Menara Kinabalu.

“Despite the high placement rate, some schools in Sabah still face teacher shortages.”

A key challenge is the rising number of teachers opting for early retirement. In 2024, 12,607 teachers nationwide opted for early retirement compared with 13,192 in 2023. In Sabah, 947 teachers chose early retirement in 2024, up from 813 in 2023.

“SPP is working closely with the Education Ministry to develop comprehensive solutions to sustain the teaching workforce,” Adzman said. “Administrative workload and overlapping demands from digitalisation were among the reasons teachers chose to leave the profession early.”