1        Five outstanding teachers who have demonstrated selfless service will receive the President's Award for Teachers this year. They are Ms Goh Siew Hong from Admiralty Primary School, Mrs Pramageetha Velmurugan from Huamin Primary School, Mr Koh Cher Hern from St. Hilda’s Primary School, Mrs Shahul Hameed from Compassvale Secondary School and Mdm Ranjit Kaur from Pasir Ris Secondary School.  The five teachers will receive their awards from the President of the Republic of Singapore, Mr S. R. Nathan, at the Istana on Wednesday, 1 September 2004.

2       The annual President's Award for Teachers is the nation’s highest accolade for the teaching fraternity and recognizes the teaching profession’s commitment to the total development of students and its contribution to nation building.  The award honours the recipients as exemplars who have demonstrated the passion, courage and perseverance to inspire and nurture the nation’s young.  Write-ups on the five recipients for the award this year are at Annex A.

3       More than 4000 nominations from principals, teachers, students, parents and former students were received this year.  A total of 1100 teachers from 182 schools were nominated.  A Selection Panel, comprising prominent members of the community and senior officers from the Ministry of Education (see Annex B), selected the five recipients.

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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

For enquiries, please contact:

Ms Roslina Ng                                               Ms Gowri Pathu

Teachers Network Executive                       Corp Communications Executive

Teachers Network                                         Corp Communications Division

Training and Development Division            Tel: 6879 6123

Tel: 6838 1717

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                                                            ANNEX A

RECIPIENTS OF THE PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR TEACHERS 2004

Miss Goh Siew Hong, Admiralty Primary School

1.                  Miss Goh Siew Hong, 31, is the Head of Department for Citizenship in Admiralty Primary School.

2.                  Miss Goh believes in bringing out the best in every pupil and pays special attention to EM3 pupils who need her support most.  She encourages them to take up leadership responsibilities in the class and works closely with parents to motivate and develop the pupils.

3.                  Miss Goh’s passion in National Education (NE) was instrumental in the school’s achievement of the Lee Kuan Yew National Education Award in 2003.  She initiated a service learning project to provide an independent learning experience for her pupils.  The Heritage Trail project required pupils to interview people on the streets, research the Internet for information and serve as tour guides for a Learning Journey for parents.  Her strong belief in active citizenry motivates her in her efforts to forge and sustain an NE culture in the school.

4.                  Miss Goh uses a wide repertoire of teaching strategies to get her pupils interested in learning.  She is involved in the co-planning of the Junior Entrepreneurship Programme which provides pupils with a platform to experiment with their entrepreneurial skills and experience the spirit of risk-taking.

5.                  She believes in sharing her knowledge and experience with fellow teachers, be it formally, through workshops and conferences, or informally, through small group discussions.  She was the writer of a published article in the NE Resource Booklet for teachers in 1999, co-writer of a published article in the NE Sourcebook for Educators ‘Securing Our Future’, and assisted in the filming of ‘Mosaic’, a programme on racial cohesion aired over Channel NewsAsia in 2002.  Her enthusiastic approach towards teaching has inspired many of her colleagues.

Mrs Pramageetha Velmurugan, Huamin Primary School

1.                  Mrs Pramageetha Velmurugan, 44, is a Senior Teacher in Huamin Primary School.

2.                  Mrs Velmurugan’s dedication and commitment to the profession is seen in her ability to motivate under-achievers to strive for their best and not just settle for mediocrity. 

3.                  Mrs Velmurugan uses effective teaching methods with emphasis on reasoning, problem-solving, critical and creative thinking skills.  She arranges a variety of activities for her pupils that include field trips, overseas tours and enrichment programmes.  She also started Pupil Work Improvement Teams (WITs) in 2000 and has seen to the continuity of these projects to date. Through these WITs projects, pupils learn innovative and creative ways of problem solving and how to work effectively in teams.

4.                  As a Senior Teacher, Mrs Velmurugan is always ready to groom younger teachers by sharing her teaching and learning experiences with them. She provides them with the relevant resources to develop their pedagogy in their subject areas.  She also encourages them to read and to source the Internet for relevant materials to enhance teaching and learning.  Trainee teachers who have come under her charge have applauded her for her dedication, excellent attitude and selfless contribution in mentoring them in their professional development.

5.                  In 2003, the school awarded her the Outstanding Contribution Award (Individual Category). The award was given to her in recognition of her contributions towards raising the self esteem of EM3 pupils and playing a key role in creating a thinking culture in the school, which enabled the school to be awarded MOE’s Thinking Culture Zonal Award in 2002 and 2003 and the Thinking Culture National Award in 2003.

Mr Koh Cher Hern, St. Hilda’s Primary School

1.                  Mr Koh Cher Hern, 39, is the Head of Department for Information Technology in St. Hilda’s Primary School.

2.                  Mr Koh believes that every child is unique and there is potential in every child.  While he initiated the Mathematics Olympiad to train the Gifted Education Programme (GEP) pupils in solving non-standard mathematical problems, he also extended this training to other pupils from the mainstream.  He was so inspiring in the teaching of Mathematics that in 2001, some schools in the E2 cluster enlisted his help to train some of their top talents in Mathematics.  The pupils who attended his Mathematics lessons felt that he had made the learning of Mathematics more meaningful as it always went beyond learning from the textbook.

3.                  With his passion and knowledge in Information Technology, Mr Koh initiated special lessons to give his pupils in-depth learning in computer.  He created a St. Hilda’s GEP Young Mathematician Activities Website to enhance the pupils’ learning. His creativity and innovation is evidenced in his being awarded the Hewlett Packard Innovation in Teaching Using IT Award for his use of innovative ways to teach Mathematics and for infusing elements of social responsibility and National Education messages into his lessons.  Mr Koh has clinched this Award for three consecutive years from 2001 to 2003.

4.                  Pupils, parents, and colleagues hold him in high regard.  His dedicated and conscientious work attitude, and his willingness to share and help others, have made him an extraordinary teacher.

Mrs Shahul Hameed, Compassvale Secondary School

1.                  Mrs Shahul Hameed, 35, is the Head of Department for English in Compassvale Secondary School.

2.                  Mrs Shahul enjoys excellent rapport with her students in and out of classroom and makes time to interact with them, and counsel and handhold them in times of need.  Her concern for moral and character development is evident in her implicit inculcation of values in the schemes of work drawn up by the English Language Department.

3.                  Mrs Shahul enthuses her students in the learning of English through creative and well planned programmes like “Pupil Portfolio” and “Spoken English Patrol Team” to promote a love for reading and to raise the standard of spoken English.  The “Pupil Portfolio” has been recognised by MOE’s Curriculum Planning and Development Division as a best practice and shared with Heads of Department for English in other secondary schools.

4.                  As the Innovation & Enterprise champion in her school, Mrs Shahul is currently working with a group of teachers to prototype the use of a network learning environment through the library, and enlarge the teaching and learning environment outside the classroom.

5.                  Mrs Shahul strongly believes in reflection as a means to personal and professional growth and encourages her teachers to practise personal reflection regularly.  She leads the Beginning Teachers’ Learning Circle to encourage and motivate them to build their capacity and contribute to the profession.  She has also participated as a facilitator in the Induction Programme for Beginning Teachers at Teachers Network, a branch of MOE’s Training and Development Division.

6.                  She is well respected by her peers and colleagues who find her firm, motivating and encouraging.  Parents and students whom she works with speak highly of her.  Her enthusiasm, drive and untiring spirit make her a respected leader.

Mrs Ranjit Singh, Pasir Ris Secondary School

1.         Mrs Ranjit Singh, 42, is the Head of Department for Pupil Welfare in Pasir Ris Secondary School.

2.         Mrs Singh values the uniqueness in every child and believes in nurturing every child to his or her fullest potential.  Among the many programmes that have been implemented under her leadership and direction are the Community Involvement Programme (CIP) and Programme to Raise and Improve Self Esteem (PRAISE), a programme that seeks to develop the child’s character through moral values, positive attitudes and behaviour.

3.         Mrs Singh is an advocate for innovative practices.  She has played a vital role in WITs projects which led to the use of innovative strategies in addressing discipline issues.  These efforts have won for her team the National Quality Circles Convention Gold award for two consecutive years.  As a Learning Circles facilitator, Mrs Singh is also instrumental in promoting Webquest activities in the Craft and Technology Department.

4.         Mrs Singh is continually learning and contributing to the continual development of fellow professionals.  She exemplifies this spirit by pursuing a degree at the Singapore Institute of Management, reading up on latest developments in the field of education, and stepping forward to share with fellow professionals her experiences and expertise.  Her sharing has benefited teachers in her cluster, Heads of Department in the Diploma in Departmental Management Programme, as well as teachers at in-service courses at NIE. Her dedication to continual learning has inspired her colleagues to continually evaluate their practices and move towards excellence in classroom instruction.

5.         In acknowledgement of her numerous contributions, Mrs Singh was awarded the National Day Commendation Award in 2001.

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ANNEX B

PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR TEACHERS 2004

SELECTION PANEL

Ministry of Education

Date: 1 Sept 2004