Teachers are important as they are the one who spend half of the day imparting knowledge and providing guidance to students. However, over the years, the quality of Malaysian teachers has deteriorated, and they have often been criticized for their poor performance.

One major problem is the attitude of teachers towards teaching. Many do not consider teaching as a profession, but view it as having many advantages such as time off and favourable working conditions. Lack of dedication in some teachers also results in unsatisfactory execution of their duties.

A number of teachers have poor reading habits, and most of them are totally dependent on textbooks and workbooks. This affects the quality of teaching, as teachers are unable to give or share anything extra with students.

Sometimes, a teacher is required to teach a combination of Mathematics and English, but often, he specializes in only one of these subjects. Having a weak grasp of the subject content hinders the effectiveness of the teacher and he may lack confidence.

To improve the quality of our teaches, training colleges (IPG) have to play a part in helping trainee teachers develop a right attitude by instilling in them a sense of commitment and reminding them that teaching is an important and noble profession.

Selection of applicants to teacher training colleges (IPG) should be done carefully. Temporary teachers, those who have taught in private schools and those who have been applying persistently should be given priority because they show that they like the profession and are also serious about it. Hence, some quality and commitment is assured.

Training programmes may need to be modified so those trainees are required to read more and develop their analytical and problem solving skills. Only then are the trainees are future teachers able to adapt and change their teaching methods in schools in order to teach well.

Teachers should not only specialize in one subject but also take up another subject to enable them to meet the needs that arise in schools. In being familiar with the second subject, a teacher can prepare his work and know that he is teaching.