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Some Little Faults in the administration of

Education

Starting today, I am going to have exactly 11 months of service in teaching English. I have a lot of experiences being a professional working under local circumstances but that do not mean I am so well-versed in the business. Until now, after 35 years being an English teacher, I finally come to a verdict that I am not that compatible for the local education climate or scenario.

The Malaysian Education System may have been misinterpreted or rather not carried out with integrity. So, with that in mind, I shall be treating myself as the point of reference for the success of my my business; a teacher who is teaching A-level English.

So, let me put the whole thing in perspective. To me, the most critical aspects of teaching and learning English are firstly,  teaching or you may call it informing and guiding, next is evaluating and finally , remedial. Not a few teachers who find themselves unable to give proper treatment to these three vital criteria.

I would say teaching is an extremely serious business. A teacher, poor soul; who wants to start a lesson will have to consider some vital factors so that the objective of the lesson is achieved. The lesson is designed based on the students’ ability, previous knowledge and generation of learning materials. I have found that lack of relevant materials following the lesson is a major drawback in achieving my objective.

There shouldn’t be a pause in material supply in follow-up lessons. Well, I do see quite a few teachers who struggle to prepare materials for both teaching and evaluating. I feel that the materials should be prepared earlier, based on the annual and weekly lesson plan. Materials for follow-up activities will enable a smooth teaching and learning course.

Why am I mentioning and stressing on all these? Well, there are people who are leading the teachers by pushing some stuffs into their (the teachers’) mouths. There are extra work-loads to be done; the technical things.  If the teachers have so much time filling up forms and preparing documents (like headcounts and strategic plans) for the ‘showing-off’ in meetings, why then they (the teachers) find themselves caught between the core business and the technical queues? The teachers should indulge in their real business, not scratching peoples backs and in the end only to find that will be no one to scratch theirs (the teachers themselves).

Why has technical documentation become the main event in teaching and learning? Since when does this shift in paradigm bugged the teachers. Come on! The administration could employ others to prepare these technical stuffs and by all means, leave the teachers with their reflective business.