DUBAI: Innovation and creativity are among the key drivers to help students develop soft skills, making them more employable and better equipping them for the 21st century, Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said.
He said Malaysian teachers should incorporate innovative and creativity teaching approaches that would help develop students' communication, critical thinking, problem solving and motor skills, among others.
"In today's world, book knowledge alone won't suffice. We need to demonstrate and experience hands on experiments in the classroom. Students need to be equipped with the neccesary skills and this is where creativity and innovation come into play.
"It is time for teachers to move away from merely focusing on textbook teaching. We encourage them to work on creating teaching tools and to organise creative learning activities during their lessons.
"We are giving them (teachers) the freedom to research and come up with their own activities which are effective and efficient," he told reporters after attending the two-day Global Education and Skills Forum (GESF) 2016 at the Atlantis, The Palm, here.
Mahdzir said there was no restrictions on implementing their creative ideas, but it should be in line with the existing curriculum.
However, he said schools and teachers should ensure the activities suit the geographical and circumstance of the schools and its students.
"For example, the use of Lego blocks in teaching students has been proven effective as mentioned during the workshop (entitled "Building better schools for the future together with Lego education") here but this method may only be applicable to a certain group of students.
"Creativity and innovation will definitely enhance the education quality. We want a 21st century class, producing efficient and skillful graduates."
Meanwhile, Mahdzir said his participation in the GESF 2016 had helped in knowledge transfer and in learning effective teaching methods that could be implemented in Malaysia.
"The key focus in this forum was how we can improve the quality of teachers and education, and how the government, administrators, schools, parents, teachers and private sectors can come together to tackle the issues faced.
"Looking at the Malaysian context, should we achieve greater collaboration between the relevant parties and if we are well-eqipped with technology advancement, Malaysia will reach a developed nation status."
Mahdzir stressed that teachers should be passionate about the profession in order to carry out their task dutifully.
He also congratulated the two Malaysian teachers, Vanesri Kasi from Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil Jalan Khalidi, Muar, Johor and Noorjahan Sultan from Sekolah Kebangsaan Indera Mahkota Utama, Pahang who were shortlisted in the Top 50 for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2016.
"I hope more teachers will apply creative and innovative teaching and learning methods in their classrooms. And I hope more teachers will participate in forums like this to expand their network and broaden their horizon," he added.