The
Oxford Dictionary defines Education as the process of receiving or giving
systematic instruction, especially at a school or university. The root word
Educate means to teach, train or develop the knowledge, skill, mind or
character through formal instruction, teaching or schooling.
There is a common Malay proverb that is used to describe teaching children, ie “Melentur buluh biarlah dari rebungnya”. In English this translates to “bending a bamboo should be done when it is a shoot”; because while a young bamboo shoot is pliant, a mature bamboo is rigid and cannot be bent This is related to the teaching and formation of children which should be done at an early age because their minds and character are still pliant. Young children are likened to a white canvas whereby, we paint them the way want them to be. Therefore, early childhood education is very important to help in developing behavior and character for their future. It is also related to the learning process, imparting knowledge and applying good values to children. The Minister of Rural Development, Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, said that childcare centers for children between the ages of three to five are required to provide teachers and care-givers with the required education in the field of early childhood education (ECE) so as to be able to provide quality early childhood care and education to the children. He went on to say that, “having a degree in early childhood education can improve the quality and level of professionalism of education in line with current trends”. Datuk Seri Mahdzir highlighted that developed countries such as Japan and Korea have long made this a national priority and implemented coordinated efforts at all levels to develop and support early childhood care and education.
The increasing emphasis on ECE, can be traced to 2 important findings. First is the researches of economists have revealed that investment in quality ECE yields very high return due to cost savings from reduced school dropout rate, lower crime rate, lower expenditure on security and healthcare and higher employability. The second is the research of neuro-scientists that discovered that experiences in the first five year of life are critical to the development of the human brain. Inappropriate and stressful experiences can change the architecture of the brain which does not only affect cognitive and socioeconomic development but also the physical and mental health of the child which carries over into adulthood.
Children's
experiences in the early stages greatly influence their subsequent development.
Hence, children at an early age need to master basic skills before entering the
realm of primary school. Therefore, if the teacher/care-giver at their early
years is not sufficiently knowledgeable and lacks the required skills to teach,
care and form the child, then the effect would manifest in the children. For
this reason, teachers are recognized as the main determining factor to unlocking
the fullest potential of the children in their care. In addition, teachers are
also the role models who influence children’s characters.
It
is therefore understandable that more and more ECE centers and parents are
looking for teachers with early childhood education degree and to teach and
care for their children. Sadly, up today many kindergartens (TADIKA) and
childcare centers are still only setting Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) as the qualification
for their teachers. Many of these operators assume that anyone eighteen years old
and above are capable of taking care of the children without the need for
additional qualifications or formal training in this field. This has led to many
unfavorable incidents and questionable practices in these centres. that have
irked many parents.
In
conclusion, in order to take on the role as a pre-school /kindergarten teacher,
one needs to master the theory and practice of early childhood education.
Parents should not compromise on the quality of the teacher caring for their
young children while centres should be more responsible and provide only
trained and qualified teachers to teach their students.
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