In the past demand for high quality graduates to become teachers was low; it was enough to have good graduates to run an information and knowledge were transmitted through a one-way trunk road.

Today, things could not be more different. Graduates need more than localized skills to compete in a borderless economy.

Critical thinking skills, inter-cultural communication skills, information technology competencies, to name but a few, are some of the demand of today's world - whether we like it or not.

To meet this demand, let us consider the supply side - the teachers. With "Generation Google" as students, teachers are compared to technology in being knowledge and information providers.

The ideal teacher prepared for the modern globalized world must possess at least three critical skill sets - the understanding of international perspectives and cross-cultural differences, up-to-date teaching methods enhanced with leading edge technology, and the ability to develop leadership and critical thinking skills, character and moral values in students.

Alas, even by local standards, Indonesia's teachers have not been faring well. Among the 2.7 million teachers in the country, only 300,000 are certified.

Teachers in Indonesia have long been plagued by various problems including insufficient training, low education qualifications, meager salary and inadequate professional development support and facilities.

A good effort nonetheless, this is however not enough to change the quality of the work of teachers. Monetary reward is the carrot at the end of the stick. The presence of the stick - the "how to get there" still requires further development within Indonesia.

For example, how do we get teachers to be comfortable using Information and Communication Technology (ICT)?

The importance of computer literate teachers cannot be over-emphasized. At the same time, the ICT skills of "Generation Google" continue to grow independent of their interaction with their teachers. Teachers find themselves competing against the unlimited world of the Internet.

Students nowadays live lives that are immersed in social networking tools such as Facebook and one-stop encyclopedias such as Wikipedia.

Researchers have also shown that a dynamic learning environment where debates, arguments, critical thinking and two-way communication exist produces better students who are more prepped to face globalization.

The typical Indonesian classroom, however, continues to reflect more of the un-stimulating teaching-learning experience of "talk and chalk" instruction method; whereby students are expected to simply reproduce what the teachers have given them without having the liberty or encouragement to argue, think or discuss.

This lack of a stimulating environment has a negative impact on students' enrollment, participation and the overall outcomes of schooling. Indonesia needs a new generation of teachers who are bilingual, open to diverse learning strategies, and willing to debate.

Hence, teachers should taking on the role of a learning facilitator rather than a source of all knowledge. These are qualities of a teacher with international standards.

Indonesia must prepare itself for this new generation of teachers. It must provide the infrastructure, support, and reward system to create this breed of much needed teachers for the advancement of Indonesia's human capital on both the local and global stages.

If not, Indonesia's teachers will lag behind other advanced and developing countries. The global teacher election will be lost by a large margin.

The writer is director of Sampoerna Foundation Teacher Institute (SFTI)

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