DIGITAL learning is essential if Malaysian students are to thrive in a technology-driven world.
Yet, according to the Digital Education Policy, less than half of our teachers have achieved either Intermediate or Advanced Level for digital literacy.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek recently announced that Year One pupils will be learning artificial intelligence (AI) when the new school curriculum begins in 2027. This, she said in written parliamentary reply last week, is to create digitally-savvy students who will become Malaysia’s future workforce.
But only 2.2% of teachers nationwide are at the Advanced Level while 39.9% are at the Intermediate Level when the digital competency of teachers was evaluated in 2021. The rest, nearly two-thirds, only have basic knowledge of digital literacy, according to the Digital Education Policy (DEP) (see infographic).
The findings were unsurprising considering the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019 report where students surveyed said 82% of Science teachers and 90% of Mathematics teachers in Malaysia almost never, or had never, used computers in their teaching and learning.
This percentage was higher than the average of the study, which was 56% for Science and 68% for Mathematics.
The same study, involving a sample of 9,643 respondents from 221 schools, showed that the average student score increased if teachers used computers when teaching the two subjects more frequently. Universiti Utara Malaysia School of Education senior lecturer Dr Muhammad Noor Abdul Aziz said student learning will be jeopardised and a bigger learning gap will form if the teachers are not adequately competent in digital literacy.
Muhammad Noor
He said the issue could be due to the lack of proper teacher training and monitoring by the state education departments, district education offices or schools.
“More comprehensive monitoring and supervision should be undertaken to improve the quality and implementation of training at different levels.
“We must take the competency evaluation of teachers very seriously so that the DEP can be properly implemented and its objectives and missions successfully achieved,” he said.
Do what’s best
While technology is important for teaching, it is still just a tool, said Universiti Malaya Faculty of Education senior lecturer and teacher-trainer Assoc Prof Dr Zuwati Hasim.
“Forcing teachers to use and integrate digital technology in all their lessons ignores the fundamental reason for teaching.
Zuwati
“In teaching, there is no one best method, and teachers are to decide what works for their learners. They can even adopt eclectic approaches if that is what’s best for their students,” she said, stressing that digital technology is a tool that is used to assist teaching and learning but it does not necessarily suit all contexts of learning and the needs of every learner. However, embracing technology is necessary, said Zuwati, and when teachers lack digital competency, students may experience limited access to innovative learning opportunities, reduced engagement, and inadequate preparation for the digital demands of the modern world.
She also said it is good for teachers to reach a certain level of digital competency but the benchmark should not be similar to those majoring in information technology (IT).
“Do not expect teachers to be IT experts or programmers,” she said.
Create the ecosystem
To improve digital literacy among educators, Zuwati said a comprehensive approach is needed, and this should include targeted professional development programmes aligned with teachers’ needs and related to the curriculum.Such programmes, she added, must encompass ongoing support, appropriate coaching, and incentives for teachers who make the effort to upskill themselves.
“It’s necessary to update infrastructure and technology resources in schools, and foster a culture of collaboration and continuous learning.“Parent-teacher associations and the community can work together to help schools do this,” she suggested.
She said it is also crucial that skills needed by teachers are correctly identified so that the right knowledge and skills are provided.School leaders, said Zuwati, should be a role model for teachers in integrating technology into pedagogical practice.
“School heads can address and take necessary action to assist their teachers by getting to know the kind of support the teachers need for teaching and learning,” she added.
Teacher training
While training and upskilling are necessary, National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Fouzi Singon said there is no training provision for teachers to enhance their digital literacy.“There’s still a long way to go in terms of infrastructure requirements, teaching staff, training provision, and the digital curriculum itself, before we can see positive results.
“Is the ministry really prepared to implement this digital learning policy?” he asked.
Fouzi
Agreeing, Muhammad Noor said the current training system needs to be improved and talent development must be enhanced.
“Since digital literacy in schools is still at its infancy stage, many teachers are grappling with it and are in need of greater support,” he said, adding that this is one of the reasons why teachers are still not digitally competent.
Another reason, he added, is that technology is constantly evolving.
By the time teachers master one tool, there are already new versions popping up and teachers need to keep themselves updated, he said.
“They must be given the opportunity to understand the training and the room to apply what is learnt.
“And training should be organised at a proper time and not when teachers are busy with school programmes and exams.
This is to avoid having teachers attend the training half-heartedly,” Muhammad Noor added.
‘We did it’
I usually use a video calling app to interact with my students and to help them with their projects. I also use an online template editor app for creating social media graphics and presentations. It enables our students to do collaborative work and allows me to check the work and provide feedback. There are many online training courses for teachers to learn how to use digital tools but most are not mandatory. While teachers should not be forced to do it, there is a need to encourage them to sign up and complete such courses. --English language teacher Dr Mohd Sirhajwan Idek, Keningau Vocational College, Sabah
Besides staff development courses which are conducted almost on a daily basis for digital skills upgrading and knowledge expansion, there are plenty of online sharing sessions by teachers and digital practitioners to help enhance our digital competency. In the last two years, I have sat through many of these training sessions to learn and improve myself. There is a need for teachers to keep up with current trends and skills so the best thing to do is equip yourself with new knowledge. Digital elements can be a variety of things. Last year, we introduced podcasting to our students and teachers. As an educator, you want to attract students to pick up new things so that they can adopt the knowledge and skills in their learning journey. --English language teacher who only wanted to be known as Murthi, a secondary school in Kuala Lumpur
While we receive enough training for digital competency from the Education Ministry, we should have more due to the rapidly changing technology in today’s world. The ministry offers lots of free online courses for teachers. Some of them allow teachers to become certified digital educators by companies such as Microsoft, Google and Apple. I have taken a few steps to upgrade my digital knowledge by attending seminars and also joining online courses. There is a huge collection of online digital courses available out there, either free or with payment. The digital elements are great tools in assisting teaching and learning and suit my students’ needs. I use them not only to engage students during lessons with interactive multimedia features, but also for my personal use. It is easier for me to teach and manage the content or students’ progress. --Science teacher Norhailmi Abdul Mutalib, SMK Jerlun, Alor Setar, Kedah
