It was mentioned recently that the quality of teachers in Malaysia should be changed. I beg to differ. Malaysia has good quality teachers who are well trained. It is the mindset of the policymakers that has to be changed.
Teachers have long been the scapegoats of policies implemented by the authorities. They are forced to follow instructions from the higher echelons of the system. Thus there are schools where students from exam classes have all co-curricular activities scrapped as students have to prepare for their major public exams. Teachers know that ‘All work and no play make jack a dull boy.’ However, there is nothing that they can do about it as they need to produce As in their school.
With the Education Ministry dangling the carrot of higher pay and accolades like 'Master Teacher' in front of them, the newly-qualified teacher slowly becomes subservient to the system. Many have given up their ideals during their tenure as teachers. They are bogged down by paperwork and meetings, which normally results in more paperwork. With rampant indiscipline and the unrealistic demands of the head of the school, they are just too tired to cope.
The ideal teacher should have the time to read up on her subject, to improve her knowledge and the delivery of her lessons, to help mould students to excel not only in their studies but also in life. However, all this is not happening in our Malaysian schools. Teaching and character-building does not seem to be part of the job description of a teacher today. Why have we lost our focus on what is important?
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