Tuesday, July 27, 2010

of doctors & teachers

it's a well-known fact that doctors in private practice earn more than their counterparts in government hospitals. much more.

hence, the mass exodus into private service once the 3-year compulsory "national service" is fulfilled. of late, the govt has instituted many measures to stem this outflow, like improving the pay structure, introducing additional clinical allowances (which are largely tax-exempt), expanding post-graduate opportunities & hastening promotions. the coup de grace has got to be the establishment of private wings in certain hospitals, eg. UMMC, HUKM, where specialists are allowed to practise (& charge at private rates) after their regular office hours.

naturally, those who are bent on private practice will leave anyway but the recent measures has succeeded in convincing the fence-sitters to reconsider. i mean, specialists who are 3 years post-grad can expect to take home RM10k -12k a month. that's not too bad for a 30-plus-yr-old.

similarly, teachers supplement their income by giving tuition, which is really big business these days. i know of tuition centres that have classrooms of 80 students where the teachers use microphones & powerpoint. on top of their regular classes in school, they also do administrative work, conduct co-curricular activities & attend in-service courses. no wonder the constant complaints of being overworked!!

from august 1, the graduate teachers can engage in politics. (read here) wait a minute! i thought they said they were overburdened?? presumably some weren't. so, headmasters can soon expect absenteeism not only amongst the students, but the teachers as well. after all, politicking does take up time & effort.

personally, i don't think the standard of education will drop much after this, not because it's (reputed to be) already at rock bottom level, but rather i believe the really good & dedicated teachers will stay true to their cause & remain in the classrooms.

14 comments:

ilene said...

What "standard of education"? In the first place, is there one to begin with? *fuming mad*

doc said...

Ilene,

there was one, the same one you & i were taught in but that's past now.

now, we head south.

and life goes on.

Unknown said...

There is one kind of teachers that i loathe much..... those telling the students,if you dont know, come to my tuition class...

ilene said...

DOC, it's sad isn't it?

The standard of English these days are atrocious! When one of the big bosses here tried to guide one of the lawyers to write a letter using Queen's English, the lawyer got the cheek to reply that the letter was all utter rubbish!

doc said...

Eugene,

like i said, tuition is big business these days. one of my neighbours lives in double-storey bungalow & they're both sec school teachers.

Adino said...

RM10K for a 3 year post graduate?? I chose the wrong career :(

doc said...

Ilene,

locally trained lawyer? hasn't got the sack yet for talking back?

doc said...

Adino,

i meant 3 years AFTER getting a post-grad qualification, which usually is a 4-year program.

it's not too late to share this info with your kids!

jemima said...

If these teachers support the govt, what will happen to them if the opposition wins & form a new govt in the next election?

Then again, what will happen to these teachers if they are pro-opposition?

*the mind ponders* :p

doc said...

Jems,

nothing to ponder - this is just another idea that wasn't fully thought out before implementing.

couldn't they put their spare time to learn something useful instead -like learning to speak & write proper english??

Unicorn Girl said...

about the practise , plan of changing boats doc ?
Education wise , what can I say except - Malaysia apa pun boleh :) !

doc said...

UG,

changing boats? if you mean changing career, then i don't think that's likely to happen.

ilene said...

Oh DOC, just for your info, that particular lawyer holds a double degree from a uni in UK! The message was put across to the boss very politely, for obvious reason. However, to us, the message relayed was on a different tone! Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde! haha...

doc said...

Ilene,

lucky for him the boss is very accomodating but he ought to watch his mouth!