Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's call for Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) education degree graduates to not expect postings has drawn flak from Penang PKR.

Its leader Mansor Othman said Muhyiddin's "find work elsewhere" remark to UPSI students on Oct 30 was both "arrogant and disappointing".

NONE He notes that the protest involving hundreds of UPSI students on Nov 2 was a direct result of the inflammatory remark and warned that it could instead end Muhyiddin's political career.

Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong had announced recently that 7,902 untrained temporary teachers have been absorbed into the school system as permanent teachers, with another 7,508 to follow suit.

Muhyiddin had said that teachers under the Education Ministry's scholarship programme would be given priority for placements in the national school systems, while those from other programmes will have to seek work elsewhere.

Mansor said the federal government should rightfully rectify the problem by finding placements for the students.

He said that the failure to do so shows that the federal government has no proper plans in place, but are allowing people to enroll as teachers anyway.

"These graduates are not similar to others who can find work in the corporate and private sector.

"They are trained to become teachers, and they are worried because some of them have to pay back their government loans," he added.

"It is not surprising to hear their complaints that they have to work in a restaurant in order to pay back their loans," he stressed.