NILAI: Educational leaders need to enhance their efficiency in addressing the challenges of digital technology transformation to ensure the country's education system remains relevant and competitive, said Education director-general Azman Adnan.
He said that educational leaders, including principals and headmasters (PGB) can no longer rely solely on traditional methods and must instead formulate new strategies incorporating digital technology in line with the current development in education.
"PGB must set a strong example in utilising digital technology and demonstrate a high level of commitment to encouraging its use among educators," he said in his speech when officiating the 23rd Aminuddin Baki Institute (IAB) Commencement Ceremony at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia here today.
The ceremony honoured 1,375 graduates of the National Professional Qualification for Educational Leaders (NPQEL), comprising 685 from the 2022 intake and 690 from the 2023 intake.
Azman said PGB must establish a clear vision, embrace transformative steps, and act as an agent of change to foster innovation and creativity among educators.
"I want to emphasise that the role of educational leaders in this digital era is crucial.
"We must drive digital transformation in our education system to prepare a generation that is truly ready to face future challenges," he said.
In addition, Azman said the Education Ministry through the Digital Education Policy is committed to ensuring that educators become digitally competent to produce students who are digitally literate.
He said that the NPQEL programme, a key initiative by the ministry to train future school leaders, will enable educators to drive digital education efforts within their respective school ecosystems.
"We hope that all 10,235 principals and headmasters across the country will also embrace a vision of digital leadership," he said.
Meanwhile, Junaidah Kamarudin, the recipient of the NPQEL Outstanding Graduate Award in the secondary school category for the 2022 intake, said the ten-month training programme was instrumental in building her self-confidence and preparing her to become a high-calibre school principal.
"During the programme, I received valuable exposure to various competencies essential for school leadership.
"Insya-Allah, I will apply all the knowledge gained to effectively manage the school where I am currently serving," said the SMK Pantai Remis principal.
Recipient of the NPQEL Outstanding Graduate Award in the secondary school category for the 2023 intake, Janggil Apak said the programme played a key role in boosting both his knowledge and self-confidence.
"I started with very low confidence, but as we approached the tenth month it had increased significantly. I am now ready to take on a principal role at any school if given the chance," said the teacher at a school in Sabah.
NPQEL is a programme established to train young educational leaders who have successfully completed a specialised assessment process conducted by the IABIt is also a leadership initiative within the Fifth Shift of the Malaysian Education Development Plan, aimed at ensuring high-performance leadership in schools.