Education is always moving forward and slightly undergoes few changes along the

way. The changes that occur are important to actually meet the requirements of achieving
Vision 2020. Therefore it is crucial to recognise the contribution of the educationist that my
group had chosen whom is Abdul RahmanTalib to develop professionalism and leadership in
education. Firstly I will explain how the contribution of Abdul RahmanTalib leads to the
development or professionalism in education. The nature of professionalism was initially
subjected to concerted attention by sociologists in the 1950s. There are three elements that
need to be adhered to in order to become professional in particular area:

the use of skills based on theoretical knowledge

education and training in those skills certified by examination

a code of professional conduct oriented towards the public good

(Millerson, 1964)
From the item list by Millerson above, it shows that an educationist is one of the

professions that help to improve professionalism in person. As one of the educationist from
UPSI and had been in schools for teaching, Abdul RahmanTalib surely knows his capabilities
and abilities to use the equipped skills based on the theoretical knowledge and applied it in
school. He had been in the education system for a few years before continued to be active in
political area and fight for education right along with other benefits. Therefore, he knew
education system so well that he found the weaknesses and tried to fight for the right during
his involvement in politics. This trait should be applicable to us, the trainee teachers and also
the teachers that already been in school. We should know the basic skills of being a teacher,
all the pedagogies and methodologies in teaching, and mastering the subjects that we are
going to teach in school. These are importance in order to build the professionalism in
teaching area where the students are practically our clients and we need to serve them by
giving ample education and knowledge to feed their knowledge needs. Every Malaysian
child, regardless of wealth, ethnicity or background, deserves equal access to a quality
education that will enable the student to achieve his or her potential (Malaysian Education
Blueprint, 2013). The statement which is part in the latest Malaysian Education Blueprint
shows that teacher needs to give equal treatment and knowledge to pupils by using
particular methods that suit them
In order to be a professional teacher and ready to be posted to school, a trainee
teacher should undergo various training and exposure to the reality in schools. Professional
teachers are trained teachers who attend professional training (Appoo, 2015). The

qualification comes with examination that quantify whether the trainee teacher is already
prepared or not.Abdul RahmanTalib had gone to Sultan Idris Teaching College in pursuing
his dream to become a teacher and this shows that he had equipped himself with proper
training to pass the examination thus, becoming a teacher. That is why as a trainee teacher,
I need to undergo examination to make sure the knowledge and skills that I have learnt are
certified from InstitutPendidikan Guru Malaysia before entering a professional working
area.According to Malaysian Blueprint (2013), the Ministry aims to transforms IPG into a
world-class teacher training university by 2020. To do so, the Ministry will review the current
pre-serving training curriculum to ensure that teachers are adequately prepared to teach the
higher-order thinking skills desired of Malaysians pupils. The actions taken indicate that the
teachers should be equipped with proper education and training, certified by examination to
serve the pupils in school. In this way, the teacher trainees will become well-trained and
have the sufficient skills to conduct lessons in schools.
The third trait that a professional teacher should possess is to be able to conduct a
professional act that leads to the public good. Kizlik (2001) mentioned that a professional
career should be able to give great services to the society, make decisions on clients, has a
specific area of specialization, knowledgeable, trusted with confidence by the public and has
authority in its practice. In this case, Abdul RahmanTalib persuaded the government by
proposing the School of Extended Education for pupils who fail to continue their education in
academic field. He feels responsible on the pupils welfare and their future. The pupils who
enter this school will be equipped with extra hand-skills that are useful for non-academic
sectors such as in making art, crafts, labour work and others. This is an advantage to the
public because it offers different kind of training for those who are not really into academic
sectors. Since people comes from different multiple intelligences and skills, it is good to
equip them with skill that associate with what they are capable of. It offers them different kind
of job which is good contribution to the country where the locals contribute their skills for
countrys development. This situation can be applicable to my current status which is a
trainee teacher. As a teacher, I too, should conduct a professional act in the classroom to
gain respect and trust from my pupils.I have responsibilities towards my pupils where I need
to be fair in dealing with them without bias or discrimination and pour all the knowledge that I
have to them. The pupils deserve equal access to the good quality of education (Malaysian
Education Blueprint, 2013). As a professional teacher, we should give them what they should
deserve which is good quality education which will help them in their future self and careers.
Secondly, I will explain how the contribution of Abdul RahmanTalibhelps to develop
leadership in education. Teachers have various levels of school leadership qualities
(Danielson, 2007). Some are learned and some are part of their personality. Great teachers

possess a combination of leadership qualities that are respected by the students, parents,
peers and the community. They can accomplish important tasks because of this connection
they have with their profession and the people they touch through it. By looking at the
struggle and efforts that Abdul RahmanTalib faced during his active years, I can see that he
is really dedicated in fighting for education right. The contents of his proposal is quite detail
and he really put so much struggle to unite the people through education. Max Weberstated
that through Charismatic Leadership, a leader is considered by his followers as a person
who has a special and exceptional quality that can solve all problems and will give full
allegiance (Appoo, 2015). It looks like Abdul RahmanTalib fits the traits of a charismatic
leader where he was appointed as Education Minister by election to lead the countrys
education system. He enhanced Razak Report and it was a success to see he did wondrous
changes to the education sector.
This leadership character is important to lead an organisation to be successful. That
is why Malaysian Education Blueprint (2013) stated in the 5 th shift which is to ensure highperforming school leaders in every school. Effective teacher leaders exhibit important skills,
values, and dispositions. Teacher leaders call others to action and energize them with the
aim of improving teaching and learning (Danielson, 2007). As Michael Fullan writes,
The litmus test of all leadership is whether it mobilizes people's commitment to
putting their energy into actions designed to improve things. It is individual commitment, but
above all it is collective mobilization.
A hallmark of leadershipis the ability to collaborate with others. Teacher leaders must
enlist colleagues to support their vision, build consensus among diverse groups of
educators, and convince others of the importance of what they are proposing and the
feasibility of their general plan for improvement (Danielson, 2007). This shows that teacher
works together not in a solitary mode. They work together to achieve the same mission and
vision. Therefore, it is important for me to be equipped with leadership skill to enhance my
performance in organising whether in class, schools, or even in higher institution. When I
have the leadership trait when I am teaching, it easy to keep the class organise and there
will be less issue in managing the classroom. Pupils will behave better and the lesson will be
carried out successfully and achieve the learning objective of the day.
1.0 CONCLUSION

Based on my points above, there were a lotof contributions that Abdul

RahmanTalibdid during his years in the political area and some of effects can be seen today

especially the use of Bahasa Malaysia as national language. Therefore, it is crucial to take a
good flashback on what had happen to those years so we, the future teachers, would
appreciate for the struggles and efforts that occurred to fight for the education right. Although
we are living in the 21st century and the education system is also having a big transition from
the old one, we are proud that our country had born a wonderful educationist who faced all
the troubles just for the sake of pupils, unity and the nation in the future.

REFERENCES

Aariya, D. (2014). Teacher, More than An Educationist. Retrieved from

https://thafreebird.wordpress.com/2014/05/10/teacher-more-than-an-educationist/

Abdul Rashid, F. (2012).Research on the Early Malay Doctors 1900-1957 Malaya and
Singapore. Bloomington: Xlibris Corporation.
Appoo, P. (2015). Leadership and Teacher Professional Development.Bangi:Pelangi
Professional Publishing.
Audacious Educationist, (2013).Whats the difference between an educator and an
educationist? Retrieved from
https://audaciouseducationist.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/what-is-the-differencebetween-and-educator-and-an-educationist/
Danielson, C. (2007). The Many Faces of Leadership. Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept07/vol65/num01/TheMany-Faces-of-Leadership.aspx
educationist.

2015.

Inoxforddictionary.com.

akses

pada

16

Julai

2015

daripada

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/educationist
Geni, (2015), Dr Haji Abdul Rahman Bin Haji Talib akses daripada http://www.geni.com/people/Dr-HajiAbdul-Rahman-Bin-Haji-Talib/327810219780001950
Kizlik, R. J. (2001). Tips on Becoming A Teacher. Retrieved from
http://www.asiprima.com
Malaysian Education Blueprint (2013).Ministry of Education Malaysia. Retrieved from
http://www.moe.gov.my/en/pelan-pembangunan-pendidikan-malaysia-2013-2025
Mathews, P. (2014). Chronicle of Malaysia : Fifty Years of Headline News, 1963-2013.
Singapore: Editions Didier Millet
Millerson, G. (1964). The Qualifying Association London: Routledge&Kegan Paul.

Portal Rami Smart (2012). Sejarah SMART. Retrieved from

http://www.smart.edu.my/site/index.php/info-smart/sejarah-smart.html