KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 — Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid today expressed his confidence that Malaysian teachers can turn out students who will be successful at the global level.

However, he said they must be prepared to face drastic changes in their duty and role as educators in line with the current global development.

“Our current students are very exposed to the outside world, not only in our country but they are exposed to the numerous cultures and different lifestyles from all over the world,” he said in his latest jottings at the Education Minister’s official portal.

He said the impact of the teachers on their students was not only in terms of the teaching and learning aspects in the classroom but encompassed personality and moral development.

According to Mahdzir, he was deeply aware that the changes in the teaching landscape currently were very challenging and also burdened some teachers.

As such, he said, in improving the quality of teachers, the ministry had rejuvenated the teaching profession in Wave 1 of the Malaysian Education Development Plan (PPPM) 2013-2025).

He said this included raising the entry bar, offering a new career package that enabled rapid progress based on competence and performance; and providing different career paths based on the skills and interests of teachers.

On his confidence in the capability of teachers, Mahdzir said this was proven via the confidence in the students turned out, from their discussions with him when he conducted visits to schools.

“I often take the opportunity to converse with students on what they learn and their interactions in schools, other than observing the physical changes in the classrooms, when I visit schools.

“I am amazed at the capabilities of primary school pupils in answering my questions without feeling awkward or shy,” he said.

Explaining further, Mahdzir said the ability of pupils to talk well on their learning experience was a very encouraging achievement.

He said this was the result of the teachings by teachers who encouraged the pupils’ active involvement in the learning and teaching process as aspired in PPPM. — Bernama