Authors : Soo Kum Yoke, Syahrul Ahmar Ahmad, Rahimah Mohamed Yunos, Juyati Mohd Amin, Normala Sulaiman and Faizah Abdul Majid
Abstract: Most graduates today lack skills to equip themselves to cope with 21st century workplace demands due to lack of critical thinking skills, problem solving skills and communication skills. Reports indicate that this could be due to the education system that has not facilitated the educator’s preparatory abilities to engage in 21st century teaching systems. Most educators are equipped with pedagogical knowledge and have some professional training in teaching. However, 21st century education demands more than merely teaching through chalk and talk. In the Malaysian Education Blueprint for Higher Education 2015-2025, ten shifts to transform conventional teaching were highlighted and this included globalised online learning and transformed higher education delivery. While the blueprint provides a holistic overview of the government’s aspiration for the future workforce of this nation, questions such as whether old school educators are able to grip with the fast pace of technological advancement and whether institutions of learning are well-equipped to embrace the technology by means of the physical classroom environment and the virtual platform that are available for use today is still evasive. This study therefore, intends to address the issues underlining educator’s readiness for 21st century education bearing in mind the national education agenda and the students techno-savvy abilities compared to their educators. Suggestions and recommendations are also discussed to provide for educators who are better equipped to handle the changing scene of education in this 21st century.
Soo Kum Yoke, Syahrul Ahmar Ahmad, Rahimah Mohamed Yunos, Juyati Mohd Amin, Normala Sulaiman and Faizah Abdul Majid, 2019. Educator’s Readiness for 21st Century Education. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 14: 10687-10692.