Teacher recruitment must prioritise quality, not just quantity, say academics

They say the pressing issue today is not merely having enough teachers, but ensuring that educators’ skills keep pace with changing times.

The ministry announced the recruitment of 20,000 new DG9-grade teachers on contract in preparation for the intake of six-year-old pupils into Year 1 for the 2027 academic session. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 Two academics have warned that the recruitment of 20,000 new teachers to meet the expected increase in student enrolment next year must not focus on numbers alone, but also on ensuring that educators are competent, adaptable and suitably specialised.

Welcoming the education ministry’s initiative to recruit more educators, Wan Marzuki Wan Jaafar of Universiti Putra Malaysia said the pressing issue today was not merely having enough teachers, but ensuring their capability in light of changing times.

“What is needed are teachers who are competent, flexible and prepared to educate a post-pandemic generation with different ways of thinking, learning and interacting,” he told FMT, adding that teaching strategies must be holistically planned.

He also suggested that the placement of new teachers be guided by student density, number of classes, population mobility rates, and special needs requirements rather than on a blanket basis.

He said the strategies that could be implemented included teacher placement based on specialisation – such as early literacy, digital pedagogy and inclusive education – as well as continuous retraining.

“There should also be collaboration with universities to ensure that the training of teachers before they enter the profession is aligned with the actual needs of schools,” he said.

Last week, the ministry announced the recruitment of 20,000 new DG9-grade teachers on contract to meet demand, in preparation for the intake of six-year-old pupils into Year 1 for the 2027 academic session.

This followed concerns among some quarters that the optional new policy could lead to a shortage of teachers and classrooms.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the intake of Year 1 pupils as young as six during the launch of the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2026–2035 on Jan 20.

Wan Marzuki said teacher placement based on local needs could help narrow the gap between urban and rural schools, while ensuring that human resources are distributed more fairly and effectively.

“Additionally, the use of hybrid learning technologies can help ease the burden of large classes without compromising the quality of learning,” he said.

Meanwhile, Effendi @ Ewan Matore of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said the ministry must continuously strengthen its monitoring of changes in student numbers to enable more accurate projections of teacher requirements.

“This should be supported by effective classroom practices, optimising space and using differentiated learning so that teachers can adapt their methods to students’ individual abilities,” he said.

He added that teacher recruitment data should be better coordinated to ensure that teachers are hired according to their areas of specialisation and to avoid an oversupply of teachers in non-critical fields.

Effendi also said the role of teaching assistants could be expanded to take over administrative matters such as file management, attendance records and student welfare.

“This would allow teachers to maximise classroom interaction time for deeper and more meaningful learning,” he said. - FMT