addressing the professional agenda: some observations

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ADDRESSING THE PROFESSIONAL AGENDA:
SOME OBSERVATIONS
By
Haji Ahmad Farouk bin Haji Abdul Majid
e-mel: afam@usm.my
Biodata: Haji Ahmad Farouk bin Haji Abdul Majid, anak jati Pulau
Pinang, memulakan kariernya dalam bidang pendidikan sebagai
seorang guru sementara di sebuah sekolah rendah di Kepala Batas
pada tahun 1963. Beliau kemudiannya mendapat latihan asas
perguruan di Maktab Perguruan Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Selepas itu
beliau memulakan tugasnya sebagai guru terlatih dan seterusnya
memegang pelbagai jawatan pentadbiran pendidikan termasuk sebagai
Pengarah Jabatan Pelajar Malaysia Kawasan Tengah Amerika Syarikat
dan Pengarah Jabatan Pendidikan Pulau Pinang. Setelah berkhidmat
dengan cemerlangnya selama 4 dekad, Haji Ahmad Farouk telah
bersara pada tahun 2000. Memandangkan beliau masih lagi giat dan ingin meneruskan
sumbangannya dalam bidang pendidikan, Haji Ahmad Farouk telah melanjutkan kariemya
sebagai pensyarah di Pusat Pengajian IImu Pendidikan Untversiti Sains Malaysia sehingga
sekarang. Beliau sering memberi kursus-kursus jangka pendek kepada pelajar-pelajar ijazah
tinggi, guru-guru, guru-guru besar/ pengetua dan pegawai-pegawai perkhidmatan pendidikan
yang lain. Beliau juga sering membentangkan kertas kerja dalam seminar-seminar di dalam dan
di luar negara. Atas jasa-jasanya, beliau telah dianugerahkan beberapa pingat seperti DJN.,
BeN., AMN., dan PJK. Terbaru, beliau telah dianugerahkan Tokoh Guru 2003 oleh Jabatan
PendidikanPulau Pinang.
Introduction
Until the early 70's, the Education Office (Pejabat Pelajaran) as it was then known, was a
very small office with only a handful of officers mostly Normal. Class, Kirby and
Brinsford trained teachers assigned to look after the administrative, managerial and
professional needs of students, teachers and schools. The task was quite enormous and to
a certain extent the Education Office was understaffed and rather ill equipped to meet the
professional needs and changes that were taking place at that time as the government had
just embarked upon a very ambitious and aggressive education programme.
The Chief Education Officer and his Deputy were the only two graduate officers in the
Education Office at that time. The other officers were the Organizers of Schools and their
assistants as shown in the structure below:-
DP. JId. 3, Bil 112003
CHIEF EDUCATION
OFFICER
I
I
DEPUTY CHIEF EDUCATION OFFICER
I
I
COORDINATOR
(Development)
COORDINATOR
(National Schools)
COORDINATOR
(Chinese Schools)
COORDINATOR
(Tamil schools)
COORDINATOR
(Secondary Schools)
EXAMINATION
SECRETARY
I
Assistant Organizer of Schools
Assistant Examination
Secretary
Figure 1 - Organizational Structure of the Department of
Education, Penang in the 70's.
The expansion of the Education Office to a Department of Education was inevitable vis-a
vis the rapid changes that were taking place. It was only a matter time before the existing
structure at that time would have to be reorganized and new posts created to meet the
managerial, academic and professional challenges of a developing country. The
expansion of the Education Office to an Education Department was a cautious but
gradual, organised and systematic process taking into consideration the future
requirements of the teaching service. The strategy was to have a core of specially trained
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officers at the headquarters level, proficient in their jobs acting as a nucleus providing
schools and teachers with the professional leadership and guidelines in their various areas
of specialization.
The Initial Changes
The first significant move and major breakthrough was the appointment of the State
Career Guidance Officer. The need for such a post was long overdue. We needed to train
teachers who could provide our students with the necessary guidance needed for their
career and vocational development vis-a-vis an expanding and increasingly varied job
market different from the conservative and traditional occupations such as just becoming
a teacher, clerk, nurse etc. New jobs were now available and new orientations would have
to be initiated and what was more important was that proper guidance must be given to
enable our students to choose the right careers and thus ensuring a bright and happy
future for themselves. Towards this end courses would have to be organised, seminars
and workshops conducted and exhibitions held in order to expose the vast and varied
opportunities available. The State Career Guidance Officer was the pioneer in this field
and due credit must be given to him for the subsequent developments that took place in
this area. A start had just been made and it was really the beginning of more and bigger
changes yet to come.
The appointment of the State Education Media Service Officer was the next significant
move. Educational radio and TV programmes had just been introduced. Radio and TV
sets had been distributed to schools and there was a need to oversee the implementation
of this programme. Guidelines had to be distributed, visits to be made and courses to be
conducted. At the same time the emphasis on the use of audio visual aids in teaching and
courses related to education technology (especially the use of OHP's) was' conveyed
statewide in a major attempt to make teaching more effective and learning more fun and
enjoyable.
The appointments of the Organizer of School Libraries, the State Language Officer and
the State Social Studies Officer in the State Education Department were made at about
the same time. The post of Senior Supervisor of Schools was also created to oversee and
coordinate the work of the various Organizers of Schools. This was a graduate post which
was not well received by the various organizers who felt that there was no necessity for
such a post which was considered by them to be redundant as there was already the
Deputy CEO to coordinate their various activities. The truth was that they were afraid
that their 'powers' were being eroded and their status further reduced. Their worry was
unfounded as there was indeed a need for such coordination by an officer other then the
Deputy CEO who was very busy assisting the CEO on policy matters especially related to
the academic, administrative and expansion programmes of the state.
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Thus by 1980 the structure of the State Education Department had changed dramatically
as shown in Figure 2 below:-
I CHIEF EDUCATION OFFICER
j1
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DEPUTY EDUCATION OFFICER
SENIOR SUPERVISOR OF SCHOOL
I
* Organizer of Secondary Schools
* Organizer of National Schools
* Organizer of Chinese Schools
* Organizer of Tamil Schools
* Examination Secretary
I
r-
I
* State Career Guidance Officer
* State Education Media Service Officer
* State Organizer of School Libraries
* State Language Officer
* State Social Studies Officer
* Coordinator of the New Primary
Schools Syllabus .
* Assistant Organizer of Schools
* Assistant Examination Secretary
Figure 2 -Organization structure of the Department of
Education, Penang in 1980
This was the scenario until the end of 1980. Whilst the non-graduate officers were more
involved with the tasks of posting and transfers of teachers and students, the graduate
officers were specially selected to implement the professional agenda in their respective
areas of specialization. They were more concerned with the academic and professional
matters which were really the 'core business' in education.
To the members of the public, headmasters and teachers, the Organizers of schools and
their assistants were more 'powerful' as they were in charge of transfers and postings of
headmasters, teachers and students. They were the pioneers in the Education Service and
had long been entrenched in the system. The truth was their job was very clerical and
administrative and to a large extent ceremonial, attending speech days, schools' sports
and other similar functions.
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With the implementation of the New Curriculum for Primary Schools in 1982, there was
a need to set up a new unit to look into the implementation of this new programme.
Hence a coordinator and two assistants were appointed as early as in 1980 to ensure the
smooth implementation and transition of the new curriculum for primary school at the
state level. Vis-a-vis the changes that had taken place, the Education Office had indeed
been transformed into a Department of Education better equipped both academically and
professionally to handle the issues at hand providing the necessary input for schools and
teachers.
To help the Education Department implement programmes at the state level a pool of
teachers were specially selected and trained to conduct courses at the state level. It was
hoped that this pool of Key Personnel as they were known would help bring about the
multiplying effect required and help bring about the necessary exposure, change and
implementation at the state level. However in actual implementation terms, by the time
all these reached the school level the information disseminated had become diluted and
weak and it's effectiveness lessened by some 20 to 30 %. But in the absence of a better
system, the Key Personnel system was seen at that time as the best alternative to bring
about the changes and exposure that were needed. Some change was better than no
change at all. To a certain extent due credit must be given to the Key Personnel for
having done a good job although they were faced with many constraints and challenges.
The Major Changes
With new developments and demands in education, more educated parents and high
expectations from members of the public, the issues of how effective is our education
system, how professional and competent are our teachers seem to be those which are
most frequently raised. There was also the fear that the education system in our country is
so highly centralized with everything decided at the top leaving little leeway for
initiatives, creativity and originality. It was with this in mind that the government
embarked upon a major restructuring of the Ministry of Education. The State Department
of Education was completely reorganized (Figure 3) and a major feature was the creation
of the District Education Office (Figure 4), with secondary and primary schools seeing a
totally new structure altogether. This major restructuring exercise was implemented in
1982. It was hoped that with the new structure the Education Service would be better
equipped to manage and handle the educational affairs of the country. At the same time
with the creation of new posts at the Ministry, State, District and School levels there
would be more and better promotional prospects in the education service. Prior to 1982
there were very few promotional posts and teachers and officers stagnated in their
existing salary scales for too long a time causing much frustration and thus affecting
morale and performance. At least with the restructuring in 1982, the Education Service
saw a faint light at the end of the tunnel.
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DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
I
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
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1
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* Registration and Liaison Unit
* Students Affairs Unit
* Secondary Schools Unit
* Primary Schools Unit
* Educational Management Unit
* Planning and Development Unit
DEPUTY DIRECTOR 2
I
* Evaluation and Examination
* Co-Curriculum Unit
* Curriculum Unit
Staff
Figure 3 - Restructuring
of the Department
Education, Penang in 1982
I
Unit
=Education Technology Unit
=Religious and Moral Education Unit
Clerical and Supporting
I'-----
I
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I
of
DISTRICT EDUCATION OFFICER
I
*
SCHOOL
*
ACADEMIC MANAGEMENT
*
HUMANITIES
*
EDUCATIONAL
MANAGEMENT
I
SECTOR
I
SECTOR
MANAGEMENT
MANAGEMENT
SECTOR
SECTOR
I
CLERICAL AND SUPPORTING STAFF
Figure 4 - The Structure
Department
I
Of The New District Education
of Education Penang in 1982
I
!
Office
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It can be seen from the structures in figures 3 and 4 and subsequently in figures 5 and 6
that the Education Service at the state, district and school levels were now better
structurally organised to cope with almost all the aspects of educational planning and
implementation with the District Education Office playing a complementary and
supplementary role and Principals and Headmasters better supported by a team of Senior
Assistants and other designated
posts. Indeed there was an effort towards
decentralization with education officers and headmasters having a better understanding of
what empowerment was all about, implementing a borderless service, open-door concept
in management and above all being more reflective than technical in their daily routines.
An effective start had been made and the Education Department was now put on the right
track towards achieving its objectives and aspirations.
PRINCIPAL
I
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Senior Assistant
(Student Affairs)
Senior Assistant
(Administration)
Afternoon
Supervisor
I
HeadOf Dept.
(Technical!
Vocational)
I
Head Of Dept.
(Humanities)
I
Head Of Dept.
(Science)
I
Head Of Dept.
(Language)
I
I Teachers I
I
Clerical And Supporting Staff
Figure 5 - Structure Of A Grade 'A' Secondary School
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Senior Assistant
(Student Affairs)
Teachers
I
PRINCIPAL
Senior Assistant
(Administration
I. Teachers I
I
Senior Assistant
(Co-curriculum)
I
Teachers
I
Afternoon
Supervisor
I
Teachers
I
Clerical And Supporting Staff
Figure 6 - Structure Of Grade 'B' Secondary School
If one examines the structure in grade A and B schools there appears to be a discrepancy
in terms of some important posts which are gazetted posts in grade A schools but nonexistent in grade B schools. The posts of Heads of Departments for the various
disciplines are important posts helping to coordinate the work of the various teachers
professionally and helping them plan and implement various programmes and activities
at the school level. Closer monitoring and supervision would definitely assist in the
implementation process and this would contribute towards better performance and
achievement. A better set-up would be the amalgamation of both the structures
combining the strengths of each and coming up with a new structure as shown in Figure
7.
Another significant development was the setting up of the State Education Resource
Centre complemented and supplemented by 18 Teacher Centres all over the state. Their
main function was to provide training in education technology for teachers in their
respective areas. The objectives were very good and facilities adequate to provide the
necessary assistance. Unfortunately Teacher Centres are understaffed with only one
coordinator to manage the whole centre without even clerical support. This has resulted
in Teacher Centres not being very effective and inactive due to several administrative and
managerial factors. On the other hand the State Education Resource Centre has been
more effective, able to provide the logistical support needed in terms of education
technology at the state level.
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PRINCIPAL
I
I
I
I
SeniorAssistant
StudentAffairs)
Senior Assistant
(Administration)
Senior Assistant
(Co-curriculum)
Afternoon
Supervisor
HeadOf Dept.
(Technical!
Vocational
Head Of Dept.
(Humanities)
Head Of Dept.
(Science)
Head Of Dept.
(Language)
Teachers
Teachers
Teachers
Teachers
I
Clerical And Supporting Staff
Figure 7 - A possible structure for Secondary Schools
The appointment of specialist teachers in the various subject areas marks another
significant development in the teaching service. These teachers are not orily put into a
higher salary scale, but their contribution and expertise in terms of teaching and learning
benefits not only their own schools and students but also teachers in other schools.
Through the Council of Specialist Teachers set up by them, they have organized various
workshops and seminars thus enhancing professional development of teachers in the
state, making teaching and learning more effective and enjoyable.
Another very recent development was the appointment of full time School Counselors, a
much needed post, long overdue to assist schools and students overcome problems which
have cropped up in recent years. These counselors are qualified personnel with the
necessary credentials working full time, complementing and supplementing schools with
various programmes and activities. They have to be proactive in their actions, able to
solve crises which may arise, preventive and remedial in their approaches, both
developmental and strategic addressing the various problems faced. Unfortunately they
have yet to make their presence felt. Although many are working very hard the irony is
that many parents do not even know of their existence and in some schools even students
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are not aware of the presence of such a service in schools. What is happening and where
have we gone wrong?
One aspect in terms of professional enhancement is the ongoing staff development
programme teachers should be involved in. These programmes are organised at the
federal, state, district and school levels. At the school level it does not seem to be
effective. One, two or even three programmes a year does not make much difference.
Identifying the areas where help is needed, getting the right persons to address those
areas coupled with follow-up and follow-through activities will help make staff
development programmes at the school level more meaningful and useful thus helping
teachers in their daily tasks in and outside the classroom.
One area which definitely could be strengthened is the various curriculum committees at
the school level. How active are these committees? What do they discuss? How do they
go about looking at the various problems faced? Are strategies adopted obsolete? What
new strategies can be adopted? These are some of the questions that we must look at visa-vis curriculum implementation in schools. Curriculum planning, implementation and
evaluation are not routine matters. These are processes which are constantly in a state of
flux and require deep insight and complete understanding of the issues at hand, otherwise
we will be guilty of doing a lot of teaching with little or no learning taking place.
Curriculum committees at the school level must concern themselves with matters
pertaining to teaching and learning and related disciplines in order to equip our teachers
with the professional skills as an ongoing self improvement programme well equipped to
serve the profession more effectively.
Conclusion
Since the 1970's we have come a long way in improving the necessary infrastructure and
creating the right scenario for teaching and learning to take place. What that was needed
to be done has been done, new buildings and schools have been built. Education has been
brought to the very door steps of our people, yet there is this uneasy feeling that we have
not been successful. There are allegations that our teachers are still textbook-oriented,
teacher-centred and examination-focussed in their approaches. Some say that we are too
administrative and managerial instead of being academic and professional. Whatever the
allegations, some fingers will point towards the size of the education service as being a
contributory factor. Certainly, it cannot be denied that the Education Service has grown
so big with problems as big as its size. Expectations are high and constraints far too
many.
Sometimes we are alleged to be merely doing more of the same. We have been successful
in many areas and unsuccessful in some. The 320,000 teachers in the Education Service
have contributed enormously. They are the unseen and unsung heroes and heroines of our
service. Although there is much to be done, I would consider them to be the Generals on
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the ground fighting the battles so that we can win the war. The war is not over, the battles
are still going on. DP
References:
HusseinHaji Ahmad (1993). Pendidikan dan Masyarakat : Antara Dasar Reformasi dan
Wawasan,Kuala Lumpur: Fajar Bakti.
Jabatan Pelajaran Wilayah Persekutuan (1982). Buku Panduan Pentadbiran
Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Sekolah:
Jabatan Pendidikan Pulau Pinang (bahan-bahan yang tidak diterbitkan)
Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia (1993). Pendidikan
DewanBahasa dan Pustaka.
Di Malaysia,
Kuala Lumpur:
Mahathir Mohamed (1991) Malaysia Melangkah Ke Hadapan, Kuala Lumpur: ISIS dan
DewanBahasa dan Pustaka.
Mizan Adiliah Ahmad Ibrahim et al. (1992). Pelaksanaan Perkhidmatan Bimbingan dan
Kaunseling di Sekolah . Kuala Lumpur:
UnitBimbingan dan Kaunseling Bahagian Sekolah Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia
(1993).Panduan Pelaksanaan Perkhidmatan Bimbingan dan Kaunseling,
Wan Mohd. Zahid Mohd. Noordin (1993). Wawasan Pendidikan:
Kuala Lumpur: Nurin Enterprise.
Agenda Pengisian,
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