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In order to meet our high aspirations amidst an increasingly competitive global

environment, we cannot stand still and must take the action. Our country requires a
transformation of its entire education system (Najib, 2012). Based on the statement given, our
Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak believed that Malaysia needs a total
transformation in the education system in order for Malaysia to meet the high aspirations that
were set by the government to compete in todays highly competitive world. It is crucial for all
Malaysians to play their own role in supporting this shift to make it successful especially for
teachers who act as the agents of change in Malaysian education. The transformation
mentioned by the government is the change from every aspect in education especially from the
aspect of students in order to prepare them to achieve the requirements in the National
Education Philosophy as well as the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025. This is where the
role of teachers is very important to play the role as the agents of change in the Malaysia
aspirations as being stated in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025.
One of the teachers roles as agents of change in order to make the Malaysian school
curriculum hit a big success is by interpreting the curriculum correctly. This vital measure is to
ensure that the implementation of the curriculum syllabus in the teaching and learning lesson is
done properly and effectively. In doing this, teachers must first understand what is inside the
curriculum and master all the elements that need to be implemented from the curriculum. As
being stated by Shulman (1987), in order to teach all students according to todays standards,
teachers need to understand the curriculum and subject matter deeply and flexibly so they can
help students to relate one idea to another, and address misconceptions. This kind of
understanding provides a strong foundation for pedagogical content knowledge that enables
teachers to deliver well to the others. From Shulmans statement, we can say that
understanding the curriculum and the subject matter is the most important thing to be known
and fully grasped by all teachers before entering the classroom to teach. This is mainly intended
to avoid any misconceptions and wrong teaching of knowledge to the students as this is highly
related to the production of students holistically and wholesomely as stated in the National
Education Philosophy. As agents of change, when teachers fully understand the curriculum
designed by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to create the transformation, then only can they
implement the curriculum, the contents inside it and inputs according to the national aspirations.
It is a fact that young learners nowadays are easily exposed to all kinds of information,
values and beliefs through mass media or through their own initiatives like surfing the internet.
Nevertheless, are they mature or wise enough to extract and filter the information, so that the
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information can actually give benefit to them? Thus, here comes the vital role of teachers as
agents of change, which is to instill strong moral values among students. In order to instill
valuable values among students, teachers must first ensure that students understand the
significance of being driven by good values as well as the impacts to be driven by negative
values. Generations who maintain positive values can indeed be valuable asset for the nation
as they can definitely be first class thinker, innovative and positive in any situations. In
producing such generations, teachers can start instilling the values during the lesson in the
classroom. Teachers themselves can first practice positive values for students to imitate. For
instance, teachers can practice and portray the value of appreciating time or punctuality by
coming to the class right on time and seek for forgiveness if they are late in order to stress the
importance of being punctual. Slowly, students will tend to learn the importance of the values
that their teachers show and eventually they will imitate those particular values in their daily
lives. It is a nature of children to imitate things that are being portrayed or practiced upon them.
This is supported by Andrew N. Meltzoff, a psychologist and an internationally recognized expert
on infant and child development, as he stated that imitation is a powerful form of learning
commonly used by children and infants. He also stated that a child's enthusiasm for imitative
behavior provides a mechanism for transmitting appropriate cultural and social behavior
(Meltzoff, 1999). This shows how important it is for a teacher to become a good role model for
children. Hence, by producing generations who are taught to practice good values and attitudes
in their daily lives, teachers can ensure that students will not only be well-mannered citizens, but
also generations who uphold high integrity in any field that they are joining.
Last but not least, another role of teachers as agent of change is to continually improve
themselves in the teaching profession is lifelong learning. Lifelong learning as stated by Jarvis
(2010), is all learning activity undertaken throughout life, with the aim of improving knowledge,
skills and competences within a personal, civic, social or employment-related perspective. It is
essential for professional teachers who seek for professional and personal development in their
lives to continuously update and improve their knowledge and skills. This is in line with the
national aspirations as proposed by one of the eleven shifts in the Malaysia Education Blueprint.
Shift four is about transforming teaching into the profession of choice. In the past, being a
teacher is the last choice of prefession, in which people tend to regard that everyone can be
teachers as the qualifications required to be teachers are not really high. However, in the
process of revamping the education system, as stated in the shift four, only the best applicants
will be chosen to be teachers and teachers will have to go through a continuous professional
development (CPD) as to equip themselves with required skills to be proficiency in their subject
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area or teaching methodology. Through CPD program, teachers will be able to increase their
desired or acquired skills through courses or program held by MOE.
By continuously updating their skills, teachers can equip themselves with knowledge and
skills needed to face 21st century children who are ICT savvy, advanced and possess critical
and higher order thinking skills. For example, teachers can plan teaching and learning process
that cater to students' ability and able to trigger their critical thinking skills. Such lesson can
surely develop students that can think critically and creatively in any situations required. Sooner
or later, it can help them to face the rapid progress of education systems and in the future, they
can be globally competitive and easily employed for their skills and knowledge. Besides, by
involved in CPD, teachers can show positive and encouraging value about the important of
knowledge in ones' lives. Knowledge is meant to be learned at any time as long as ones are still
alive. Hence, by portraying such value and determination, perhaps students will be encouraged
and influenced by their teachers to fall in love with the knowledge and eager to learn something
new everyday. For example, by exemplified their teachers, they will become fond of knowledge
and always seek to increase their knowledge and skills from time to time. Gradually, they will
become a generation that value the importance of knowledge and become valuable assets to
contribute for the development of the nation.
To become agents of change in this globalisation era is definitely not easy as there are
many obstacles that teachers need to face. Some of the obstacles that teachers need to face
are the lack of facilities in implementing meaningful lesson that can enhance students' critical
thinking and teachers' accepting towards the changes of education system. It is indeed a
challenge for teachers to implement meaningful lesson that can encourage students' higher
order thinking as well as critical thinking. Without the use of ICT, it is quite difficult for teachers to
expose students to various information that can be assessed through the net. As agents of
change, despite of being negatively influenced by such thing that is out of their control, teachers
can always come out with their own initiatives. For example, they can prepare the intended
materials beforehand, in which they make it earlier at the accessible internet connection area
and bring it to the classroom. Then, they can always print out the materials such as pictures so
that students can really see the things that they learn rather than only imagining it. Last but not
least, as agents of change, teachers must really offset negative perceptions about the difficulties
to adjust with the current education system. Instead of refusing to adapt with the changes made,
teachers should act positively and determine to implement the changes made. By doing so,
even though it may not end up as planned, they might learn something and are also able to
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improve their teaching skills and methodology. Hence, by becoming agents of change, teachers
need to be really flexible and positive towards all the changes so that wise and high integrity
citizens can be developed and produced.
As a conclusion, teachers play the biggest role in bringing in the change and
transformation towards the Malaysian education system. As agents of change, teachers need to
portray and cooperate in all the essential values and roles required in delivering the change and
transformation in the Malaysian education system as being hoped as well as upholding the
National Education Philosophy and the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025. This is crucial
in meeting the high demands from our society within an increasingly competitive global
environment as mentioned by the Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak.

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References
Jarvis, P. (2010). Adult Education and Lifelong Learning: Theory and Practice. New York:
Routledge.

Meltzoff, A. N. (1999). Born to Learn: What Infants. Washington: University of Washington.

Najib Abdul Razak. (2012). Malaysia Education Blueprint (2013-2025). Kuala Lumpur: Ministry
of Education.

Shulman, L. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard
Educational Review, 57 (1), 1-22.