TEACHERS in Malaysia are amongst the most dedicated in the world for ensuring their students excel academically, according to a research by Cambridge Assessment International Education (Cambridge International).
It also found that 70 per cent of Malaysian teachers felt that teaching was a rewarding career.
The Global Education Census is the first comprehensive global study to show what life is like in schools around the world today for students aged 12-19 and their teachers. A total of 477 students and 634 teachers took part in the survey in Malaysia.
Malaysia also recorded the highest percentage of teachers who invest extra time in ensuring students understand the key to acing their examinations. The census showed that Malaysian teachers are very focused on helping their students achieve good grades and to be able to fulfil their career aspirations as 75 per cent of teachers who took part in the survey said they had extra classes to help their students achieve good exam grades – the highest of all the countries surveyed.
Three out of four teachers said they provided additional lessons and classes for their students to acquire the knowledge for success. Additionally, the study of past exam papers is Malaysian teachers’ favourite method to help prepare their students well for exams.
When asked how they measure their own professional performance, Malaysian teachers scored highest in the world for saying they use exam results as a measure of their own success (84 per cent).
Forty per cent said they measure their success by the number of students who fulfil their aspirations and dreams by going on to pursue higher education or university courses.
Malaysian schools also topped the census for offering careers advice to students, further supporting them to fulfil their career aspirations. Seventy per cent of Malaysian teachers surveyed said their school offers career and counselling services to students – more than any other country surveyed.
The census focuses on 10 countries – Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Spain and the United States – and sought the views of almost 20,000 teachers and students on topics such as best classroom practices, effective use of additional teaching and learning aids, use of technology in learning and teaching, extracurricular activities, student aspirations and teacher motivations.
Cambridge Assessment International Education’s Southeast Asia & Pacific regional director Dr Ben Schmidt said: “To help the nearly one million students around the world who are taking Cambridge programmes prepare for the future, we wanted to understand what education is like across the world today.
“We wanted to understand not only what students learn, but how, and in what context, and to share these insights with the wider education community as we explore how we evolve educational programmes to meet the changing needs of learners, parents and educators.”
“We hope that through the Global Education Census, educators in Malaysia will continue to be dedicated and passionate in not only teaching, but passing on the necessary knowledge, skills and know-hows for learners to be successful academically and to be world-ready citizens,” added Schmidt.