All the 27 teaching colleges nation wide are now
officially upgraded to Teachers Education Institute (IPG) effective 6th
May 2006. This move is in line with the Malaysian government’s effort to
upgrade the status of the teaching profession and raise the standard of
teachers’ training in the country, said Deputy Prime Minister, YAB Datuk Seri
Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak.
With this change, IPGs will be able to offer Bachelor
level courses for future teachers, explained Datuk Seri Mohd Najib during the
declaration ceremony at Tun Abdul Razak Teaching Institute, Kota Samarahan.
The country is now on the right track to fulfil the
needs and meet its target of having 100 percent graduate teachers in Secondary
Schools and 50 percents of graduate teachers in Primary Schools by the end of
year 2010.
IPGs are
envisioned to improve the teaching and learning quality and skills of Malaysian
teachers as well as produce more qualified teachers to implement the Teaching
and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English.
To ensure that
only qualified teachers will enter the teaching profession, the terms of
admission into IPG’s will be revised to and strictly enforced. Datuk Seri Mohd
Najib enjoined the Teaching Services Commission to admit only the committed and
dedicated teachers.
“Teachers must have the feeling of responsibilities in
fulfilling the government and people’s aspirations,” the Deputy Prime Minister
said.
He also
advised the teachers to prepare themselves to be assigned throughout the
nation, including the rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak.
The declaration of IPG was initiated by the Education Minister, YB Dato Sri Hishammudian
bin Tun Hussein who submitted the proposal that was accepted by the cabinet
ministers’ meeting on 13th July last year.
Statistics
- There are currently 19,000 non-graduate teachers that
are still teaching in the Secondary Schools.
- There is a need for 39,400
graduate teachers to fill new teaching positions as well as replace those who
will be retiring.
- This means that Malaysia will need 7,000 graduate teachers
for the Secondary Schools and 16,000 graduate teachers for Primary Schools
every year.
