Published: Wednesday September 19, 2012 MYT 9:58:00 PM

DPM: Improving teacher quality is top priority

KUALA LUMPUR: Improving and empowering teacher and school leadership will be given top priority under the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2012-2025, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The deputy prime minister said since 60 percent of teachers were expected to remain in the education system for another 20 years, efforts to improve their skills and capabilities were of the utmost importance.

These include providing opportunities for them to undergo continuous skills training and competitive career-development path, he added.

"We want to see in the not too distant future, teaching quality will be different," he said in the "Soal Jawab" programme on TV3 moderated by Media Prima executive director (news and editorial operations) Datuk Ahmad A Talib Wednesday.

Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said starting this year, the selection criteria for trainee teachers was upgraded where only 30 per cent of outstanding graduates were offered teaching courses.

He said teachers would be equipped with higher-order thinking skills to enable them produce students with higher level of thinking.

The ministry is contemplating of providing an exit plan for teachers who are not fit to teach, he said, adding that, "We have not decided to do it yet. If they are not fit to teach where should we put them. That will be determined later."

Meanwhile, he said the district education office (PPD) would be restructured in tandem with the sixth shift outlined in the new education blueprint preliminary report where more experts would be deployed to strengthen schools and education quality.

He said the PPD revamp, which would be carried out in phases, started this year and was expected to be completed by 2014.

On the new education blueprint preliminary report, he said it was formulated after going through reports made by Unesco, the World Bank, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Trends In International Mathematics and Sciences Study and Programme for International Student Assessment, and research by local scholars.

Muhyiddin said more than 12,000 people attended a roadshow on the proposed education revamp where over 7,000 proposals and 156 memorandums were received, and nearly 90 per cent of them were taken into account in producing the report.

"So, if there are those who say that theirs (suggestions or proposals) had not been taken into account, it is not true," he added.

Muhyiddin said a series of open houses would be held from Oct 6 to showcase the new education blueprint preliminary report for public scrutiny where stakeholders could give their views, and seek clarification and feedback.

The final report is expected to be completed by December before it is submitted to the Cabinet for approval prior to its implementation next year, he added. - Bernama

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Published: Wednesday September 19, 2012 MYT 9:58:00 PM

DPM: Improving teacher quality is top priority