Brainy kids who can outsmart their teachers, and their increasingly picky parents, are causing stress levels among Malaysian teachers to soar, according to a survey reported today.

Malaysia's National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) said that 69 percent of teachers are stressed out, with pressure from students and parents the number-one problem cited in a survey of more than 9,000 classroom professionals.

NTUP Secretary-General Lok Yim Pheng said students were becoming more savvy because of hours spent on the Internet.

"Sometimes, they are more knowledgeable than the teachers, and this stresses the teachers out," Lok was quoted as saying in the New Straits Times .

No career advancement

Teachers also live in constant fear of being sued by parents over their pupils' performance, she said.

"They are afraid what they do constitutes a wrongdoing and they end up being sued," she said.

The survey found that other factors putting pressure on teachers include heavy workloads and little chance of career advancement, with 320,000 teachers but only 50,000 senior positions available.

"With figures like this, so many teachers will not be promoted and will remain teachers till retirement," Lok said.