{
  "id": 14120121,
  "title": "Sarawak schools 99 pct staffed, yet still short of 500 teachers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/sarawak-schools-99-pct-staffed-yet-still-short-of-500-teachers",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-13T04:50:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/regional/2026/10/1554314/sarawak-schools-99-pct-staffed-yet-still-short-500-teachers"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Sarawak schools have filled nearly 99% of their teaching positions, but still have 500 vacancies, according to the Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh. The state's overall teacher staffing rate reached 98.84%, with 224 vacancies in secondary schools and 276 in primary schools. Secondary schools face shortages in subjects like Science and Design and Technology, while primary schools need teachers for Mathematics, Music, and Guidance and Counselling. The Education Service Commission is conducting open-market recruitment interviews to fill these vacancies nationwide, expected to conclude in November. However, matching reserve teacher candidates with available positions is challenging due to the importance of academic qualifications and subject specialisations.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}