Teaching grads let down by conflicting standards

Wednesday July 30, 2008


Differences in criteria set by the Education Ministry for teaching graduates from public universities and teacher training institutes have caused disinterest in future applicants and those presently studying for their undergraduate degrees in education.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said this included teaching graduates needing to obtain a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.75 before they can sit for a test and interview to become teachers.

“Those from teacher training institutes are placed in schools straight away,” he said in his speech yesterday at the launch of the university and cluster schools network read by his deputy Datuk Idris Haron.

He said teaching graduates from public universities had met the conditions to graduate but the ministry’s requirement was that those who obtained a CGPA of less than 2.75 were not qualified.

Mohamed Khaled said public university lecturers felt that the teacher selection process seemed to reject the education and training provided by experienced lecturers at the universities’ education faculties.

Speaking at a joint press conference later, Deputy Education Minister Dr Wee Ka Siong, who represented Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein at the function, said this was a technical problem, which could be ironed out at the ministry’s joint committee meeting.

Earlier in Johor Baru, Dr Wee said numerous efforts have been taken by the Education Ministry to raise the leadership capabilities of school principals.

This included leadership and management training to ensure their proficiency in leading the students to success, he said at the opening ceremony of a convention attended by 870 secondary school principals.

Dr Wee urged principals to be role models for students with their leadership capability.

TS