Sarawak has 500 teaching vacancies despite an overall teacher fill rate of 98.84 per cent, the Education Ministry told Parliament on October 13. The ministry's reply, reported by Bernama through DayakDaily, puts the vacancies at 224 in secondary schools and 276 in primary schools. Secondary-school shortages include Design and Technology and Science specialisations; Mathematics, Music, and Guidance and Counselling have higher vacancy figures in primary schools. The statewide fill rate rose after new teachers and teacher-training graduates were placed on September 30. The reported rates are 98.61 per cent for secondary schools and 98.98 per cent for primary schools. A high aggregate rate does not mean every school or subject has a full complement. Separately, the ministry asked the Education Service Commission in September to appoint 317 reserve candidates for vacancies nationwide. That figure is not a promise of 317 new teachers for Sarawak. As of September 30, 3,537 of the 4,417 reserve candidates from the 2025 intake had received appointment offers, including 114 candidates from Sarawak. Those are candidates' origins, not a count of postings to Sarawak. Interviews for the 2026 open-market recruitment began in May and are expected to finish in November; the report does not allocate new appointments school by school.