Teaching to the syllabus or teaching for learning?

It is sometimes quite unclear whether teachers in Malaysia teach just to complete a syllabus or whether they teach so that their students can learn. Teachers are allowed the flexibility to teach in any way as long as they complete the syllabus these days. Is it laziness or a lack of dedication, a lack of passion ?

Personally, I feel that it is because, in Malaysia, those of us who teach were not the smartest of students ourselves. Teaching is still not "glamouress" enough to be ranked in the same level as being an "engineer, lawyer, doctor or accountant" in Malaysia. Let an all A's student try telling his or her parents that they wish to become a teacher and all hell will break loose!!

So can you blame the system if its faulty? No one wants to teach. Until the perception towards teaching changes, I doubt our system can be rectified. So parents, stop complaining about the quality of teachers in Malaysia. Start changing the way you perceive teaching as a profession and stop looking down on us who are highly intelligent and choose to become teachers. Give us a little more respect and show some appreciation.