Timed Based Promotion

I have been in the teaching profession since 1991 teaching the English Language. As far as I can remember, I've never been charged of insubordination all these years and have tried to do my work to the best of my ability. I've made quite a number of achievements through out my teaching career; among others, I was the national champion in the Innovative Teaching and Learning in Mathematics Competition in 2004, awarded the Innovative Teacher award in 2005, my school team became the champion in the ICT research competition in 2006 and numerous others which I can't exactly remember the details. I was also offered a post in RECSAM, Penang as a researcher. However, all those became meaningless when I was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. Everything stopped. Halted. From then on, my life took a different turn. The direction of my life had to take a different bearing...I had to take a medical leave of 2 years which was entitled to government servants struck by cancer or leprosy. I was told that the 2 year medical leave would not affect my seniority, my pension or my chances of timed based promotion. Since it was an entitlement, and was also recommended by my Pengetua at the time, I went ahead and took my 2 year medical leave or, should I say my long vacation!! hahaha I came back to work in 2010 with a bit of reservation, not knowing what to expect now, not knowing how to carry myself now...since I had to come back to work as a handicapped. My biggest fear was to face the students..I had no confidence at all to face the students...my colleagues are great, they are very supportive...many took the trouble to try to understand me and tirelessly tried to convince me that they could understand me perfectly..but of course, I knew better. I knew how funny I sounded like.. When I started working again in 2010, the Pengetua gave me several tasks to be carried out...I was in charged of the Computer Room where I had to oversee the usage of the room and the computers. In 2011, I was placed in the school library along with another teacher. Since I'm not able to teach, I had to carry out administrative duties and coach a group of students in preparing for the KWN video competition. Fortunately, I had the chance to work with wonderful students who could not be bothered with my slurring speech. In 2012, I still continued my job in the library..and that was when I was due for my timed based promotion to DG48...I was asked to fill in the application form which I did...then, in May, I got a rude shock..my application for the DG48 promotion was not granted..I was denied my right for the promotion. I wondered whether that was because of my 2 year leave, but that could not be because the leave was an entitlement. Then, I decided to check on my annual appraisal marks...and I was hit with a much bigger shock..I was awarded 64 marks for 2008, 50 marks for 2009, 51 marks for 2010 and 71 marks for 2011. In 2008, I was on leave for the whole year and my marks was higher than 2010 when I came to work for the entire year....in 2009, I was also on leave for the whole year, and I got 50 marks..meaning that for the whole year that I came to work without fail, my work was only evaluated to be 1 mark...because I was given 51 marks in 2010..It has never occurred to me that anybody in the right mind would do this to another human being..and especially in my case, I was not informed at all what I had done wrong... Can someone out there please explain the logic of it all??? I have appealed my case through several channels, but it seems that nobody could do anything about it...many have voiced their sympathy but it stopped there...nobody is able to go beyond that....it looks like the fate of teachers lies solely in the hands of the Penolong Kanan Pentadbiran (the first evaluator).. and I really feel what happened to me was an injustice and a mockery to the appraisal system... I decided to write this entry because I feel that government servants, especially teachers, must be made aware that something like this could happen to them too..so, fellow teachers, please insist to see your marks first before signing the appraisal form...I learnt my lesson the hard way... With love, Sharifah