Empowering Teachers through Self-Initiated CPD: A New Vision for Teacher Professional Development in Malaysia

Malaysia embarked on the present education reform in 2013 with an aspiration to build a strong and efficient education system by 2025 that would enable students to compete with future global challenges. Highly influenced by... [ view full abstract ]

Malaysia embarked on the present education reform in 2013 with an aspiration to build a strong and efficient education system by 2025 that would enable students to compete with future global challenges. Highly influenced by the results of large-scale assessments, strategic initiatives leading to improvement of educational quality especially quality teaching are already in place. Policy documents and financial incentives are used as instruments to develop teachers in the direction the Education Ministry (MOE) thinks is most needed. Educational professionals however, must relate to the choices made by the MOE to make and accept, adapt or ignore the possibilities they create for teacher professional development. This ongoing research investigates how teachers perceive the new Continuing Professional Development (CPD) policy and Malaysia’s effort in moving away from centralization and leaning towards empowering teachers and giving them the autonomy in CPD to strengthen and sustain their personal and professional sense in their work.