Teach For Malaysia stands ready to support MOE to address the 18,702 teacher shortage

KUALA LUMPUR: Teach For Malaysia (TFM) supports the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) recruitment initiative, as announced by YB Senator Datuk Dr. Mohd Radzi bin Md. Jidin on 21 June 2021, to address the shortage of teachers as part of the National Recovery Plan. We believe in prioritising education graduates and recognise that in tandem, MOE needs to recruit non-education graduates to overcome the shortage. We commend the Minister’s commitment to providing sufficient training to such graduates.

Since 2012, TFM, a member of the Teach For All global network, has partnered with the MOE to run the TFM Fellowship. We aggressively recruit and develop outstanding graduates and young professionals from diverse backgrounds, including non-education graduates. TFM Fellows teach for 2 years in some of our country’s high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to ensure all children receive a quality education. 69% of our Fellows and Alumni are from the Top 200 Universities (based on QS World University ranking) including international universities such as Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge and local universities such as Universiti Malaya and Universiti Sains Malaysia. Since then, we’ve impacted 164,200 students across 10 states. In addition to the existing TFM Fellowship, TFM stands ready to mobilise support to MOE in their efforts to make education more accessible with the recruitment, training and support of 18,702 teachers.

On MOE’s plans to recruit non-education graduates, Chan Soon Seng, CEO of Teach For Malaysia said, “Teaching is a highly skilled profession and our experience shows that a rigorous selection process for deeply committed individuals, combined with two years of quality, structured, school-based training and support can enable non-education graduates to flourish into effective teachers and adaptive leaders.”

On top of our highly selective recruitment process, TFM Fellows undergo an intensive pre-service training programme that covers topics such as pedagogical foundations, facilitating 21st-century learning, data-driven instruction, leadership and management skills, relationship building and community engagement. Throughout the 2 year programme, they receive ongoing training and school-based coaching to ensure theory gets translated into practice. They also study part-time for a Postgraduate Diploma in Education, with Institut Pendidikan Guru Malaysia.

Puan Anida, Principal of SMK Kepong said, “TFM Fellows have shown great commitment in their teaching and are always exploring new techniques besides being proactive in helping out with responsibilities.”

According to a 2020 survey of school principals who have worked with TFM, over 97% of principals agree that TFM Fellows contribute to the betterment of the school and that they would apply for or welcome the presence of a TFM Fellow in their school.

TFM recognises the challenges that MOE is going through in addressing student’s access to educational provision and learning during the pandemic. We stand ready to support the MOE’s effort to recruit, train and support these 18,702 new teachers, and can provide this support beyond our existing programme, with no additional cost to the government. We are committed to continuing to work with the MOE in recruiting, training and supporting more of Malaysia’s top talent to serve in high-need schools so that we can provide an excellent education for the future leaders of our nation.

This content is provided by Teach For Malaysia.

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