PETALING JAYA: The teaching profession is in need of reforms to keep teachers at the top of their game, say experts.
National Union of the Teaching Profession secretary-general Fouzi Singon noted the decline in budget allocation for training in-service teachers.
“The budget allocated for teacher training has decreased compared to those before the year 2000.
“While teachers are already equipped with skills, these need to be supplemented with the latest training methodologies,” he said.
Teach For Malaysia (TFM) chief executive officer Chan Soon Seng said the Education Ministry’s budget allocation for in-service teacher training is RM14mil.
“This is equivalent to about RM34 per teacher, which is a tiny fraction of the over half a billion spent on pre-service training.
“We need to invest much more in high-quality continuous professional development,” he said.
Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim proposed that the amount allocated for teacher training be disclosed when Budget 2025 is tabled this year.
“It is also timely that teachers are licensed, a topic often brushed away by ministers for fear of being unpopular.
“But this will raise the standard of the teaching profession,” she said.
Arus Academy co-founder Alina Amir emphasised the importance of helping teachers develop a sense of agency.
“We talk a lot about empowering teachers but teachers also require continuous motivation and support,” she said.
According to a recent World Bank report on the country’s education system, teachers employed by the Education Ministry performed well in performance evaluations from 2015 to 2020, with only 0.02% of teachers scoring below 60%.
The high performance of teachers in these evaluations, however, appears to be at odds with the rates of teacher absence and student learning reported, the World Bank Malaysia Economic Monitor report, launched on April 25, read.
Titled “Bending Bamboo Shoots: Strengthening Foundational Skills”, the report revealed that about 40% of Grade Five students assessed in the South-East Asia Primary Learning Metrics 2019 reported unexpectedly high teacher absence rates, relative to under 10% in Vietnam.
In addition, the report highlighted that by the end of Grade Five, 42% of Malaysian students cannot read a grade-appropriate paragraph with comprehension.
By the age of 15, they lag behind aspirational peers in reading, mathematics and science as measured by international assessments, the report also found.
To retain and reward the most capable and committed teachers, Chan proposed that teachers be promoted based on merit rather than time-based progression.
“There needs to be more fast tracks for high-performing teachers.
“There also needs to be more flexibility for the profession, such as allowing teachers to leave and return to the civil service or to enter the profession at a mid-career stage.
“This enables teachers to have a broader range of experiences, which can enrich their careers and enhance their ability to help students make real-life connections,” he said.
Universiti Malaya Education Faculty senior lecturer and teacher-trainer Assoc Prof Dr Zuwati Hasim said the evaluation criteria for determining incentive and award recipients must be objective and properly carried out to avoid elements of bias and prejudice.
“Some suggestions that the ministry might want to consider include improving implementation by making sure policies and programmes are effectively executed at all levels of the education system, and reducing teacher absenteeism by developing a more effective monitoring system,” she said.
To attract the most promising pool of talents into the Malaysian education system, Chan called for the top leadership in the country to “consistently call upon our most promising young people to be teachers”.
“Teachers need to be selected not only based on academic excellence but also based on their passion for education, commitment to student learning and distinct leadership attributes.”
He added that creating and scaling curated pathways such as the TFM fellowship would make it possible to target high-calibre talent from diverse backgrounds who would be able to meet the ministry’s recruitment needs.
Zuwati said the selection of teachers should be based on criteria that “really fit the needs of the teaching positions”.
“The ministry can consider refining teacher recruitment strategies, elevating the teaching status by providing perks or competitive remuneration and changing the perception of ‘teaching as the last option’ as a career choice,” she said.
On May 2, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said issues raised in the World Bank report had been dealt with in a proactive and progressive manner.
She added that the ministry had set up special committees to examine issues and implement educational reforms.
In a statement released on April 30, the ministry said focus will be given to the enhancement of teacher professionalism, among others.
“Various programmes are offered to enhance the competence and professionalism of teachers in service,” it said.
