WHILE primary and secondary school teachers need to at least have a diploma in early childhood care and education (ECCE), it is still not mandatory for preschool teachers.
Although ECCE requires specialised skillsets and content knowledge in a variety of learning and development areas, the World Bank in its “Shaping First Steps: A Comprehensive Review of Preschool Education in Malaysia” report found that 51% of preschool teachers nationwide did not have the minimum requirement.
“The qualifications, education, and professional development that a preschool teacher receives translate to increased pedagogical quality, which improves children’s outcomes.
“The importance of preschool teacher training includes understanding of a child’s development and learning.
“Teachers must have the ability to develop children’s perspectives, elicit their ideas, and praise, comfort, question, and be responsive to them.
“Further, their competencies in leadership, problem-solving, and the development of targeted lesson plans, are important skills and traits to facilitate high-quality early childhood and care services and outcomes,” the report read.
It said all teachers should be professionally trained to teach at the chosen level of education and be academically qualified in the subject areas they are expected to teach.
Pointing to how higher teacher qualifications are related to improvements that support children’s development – including the ability to facilitate free play and group time; provide for children with disabilities, support the development of language, reasoning skills, and communication, and provide opportunities for interaction among children – the report stated that a secondary school-leaver or a doctorate graduate in other fields would not have sufficient and relevant qualification to teach preschool children.
Raising the minimum qualification, the report recommended, would enhance the status of the profession, leading to better pay and benefits, and higher attraction and retention rates.
Requiring preschool teachers to have at least a diploma in ECCE qualification is the first step to elevating the quality of preschool education provision in Malaysia.
World Bank senior education specialist Dr Aija Maarit Rinkinen said teachers, like other professionals, must update themselves with new knowledge and skills required for their job.
Preschool aims to develop the emotional, social, cognitive, physical, and motor skills of children, she said, adding that this requires teachers to know preschool pedagogy.
Taylor’s University Centre for Future Learning curriculum innovation and development Assoc Prof Dr Lydia Foong said many studies have indicated that the professional competence of preschool teachers has a direct impact on the quality of professional services provided to children.
She said professionally trained teachers will be equipped with the five core knowledge areas needed by early childhood educators, namely:
> Child development;
> Curriculum and learning environment;
> Administration and management;
> Families and the community; and
> Professional development.
This, she added, explains why some of the teachers who are not trained in the discipline major will not have the competency required to work with young children.
“For instance, preschool teachers who are qualified in business administration would not have obtained the skills of planning lessons that are appropriate for the developmental age and interest of the child as it requires knowledge in child development and teaching pedagogy,” she said.
Commenting on the need for a diploma in ECCE, Taylor’s College School of Diploma Studies Diploma in ECCE lecturer Jacqueline Ong May said diploma programmes are designed to meet various specific industry requirements and graduate outcomes as regulated by the Higher Education Ministry.
“Although it may seem like a straightforward profession, by nature, the early years of teaching are a vocation that entails strong ethics, meticulousness, the development and refinement of specific skillsets, and accountability to parents and guardians, for the betterment of our society and country,” she said. — By REBECCA RAJAENDRAM
