Singapore Government Press Release, Media Relations Division, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, MITA Building, 140 Hill Street, 2nd Storey, Singapore 179369

Tel: 6837-9666

Speech by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education & Second Minister for Finance, at the Teachers' Mass Lecture 2006 on Monday, 4 Sep 2006 at 2.30 pm at the Singapore Expo, Hall 8

Teachers

Distinguished Guests

1. Last Thursday, 7,000 teachers gathered at the Teacher’s Day Rally to hear Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong present his vision for education.

2. PM spoke of creating many paths for our students to grow and develop, so that we build up “a whole mountain range of excellence, where individually they are strong but as a team we are invincible”. He spoke of levelling up education opportunities for all, regardless of family backgrounds. He also spoke about the need to groom leaders in every generation, with a sense of mission and the readiness to serve their country.

3. We can and will achieve this vision. We will have many approaches, not just a few - many approaches to help every student find his talents, find what he or she is interested in, and gain the confidence to go for it and do something really well.

4. We will do more to engage students who are weak in their studies, or those who learn better by doing practical things instead of working things out in the classroom. We can create peaks of excellence there - for students with different, or less conventional styles of learning.

5. And we will develop new models to groom leaders among our young - young Singaporeans with the character that inspires others, the gumption to take a risk in moving forward, and the commitment to keep Singapore an exceptional place for its citizens.

6. Every school will deliver a high quality of education - committed teachers, caring for all their students. But every school can also be above-average, or out of the ordinary, in something - a field where its teachers and students have that added passion and ability to achieve something beyond the normal.

7. And we will develop special niches of excellence in over 100 schools within the next 5 years - niches of excellence in the arts or sports, in character and leadership development, in English or one of the mother tongue languages, or in some other specific area of studies.

8. But as PM put it, our goals in education depend on us having a first class teaching force. Everything about our vision for education - every niche, every area of excellence, every approach to cater to a different learning style - is really about teachers. Teachers who nurture, care and inspire.

9. We need teachers with keen eyes to spot talents which are hidden, with the heart to want to reach out to those who feel left out, and the nurturing spirit that opens up opportunities and gives every student the courage to try.

10. This is in fact our greatest asset in education today - teachers who nurture, care and inspire. When we opened up our Teachers Day website, 12,100 tributes came in. From current students, as well as many who had left schools years ago.

11. Let me share with just two examples. The first one I have chosen is from Mdm Chia Ai Ling, who was in Tanglin Primary School in 1988. Ai Ling is now herself a teacher, a Level Head (English) at River Valley High School. She wrote a message to Mdm Margaret Wong Bee Choo (she retired in 2002), her former teacher:

“You might not remember me but I am an English teacher now because of you. You made Roald Dahl's "Witches" come alive for us and taught me to love books. You were the firm and strict discipline mistress who played badminton with us too. You were the one who saw the potential in me and nominated me for the Teachers' Day play. That was the first time any teacher took notice of me and it inspired me to be like you too - to be a teacher who sees the individual and a teacher who is passionate about English. Thank you for teaching me!”

12. The second tribute is from Mr Simon Seah, who attended Pei Dao Secondary School in 1996. It had been more than 10 years since he was taught by Mrs Suzanna Jeyanthi Ramos, whom he knew as Miss Raj while in school. He hunted her down and found that she was now at Junyuan Secondary, where she is now HOD (Humanities). In his words:

“I did some digging around and 'found' you in Junyuan Secondary......Here is a dedication for you from your ex-student from years ago! I have fond memories of Geography and you were one of the most patient teachers I have ever come across! We were a rowdy bunch but you 'tamed' us well with your words of encouragement. You always saw the good in us and for that, I am truly grateful!

13. There are many other examples, all tributes to teachers who in one way or another, sometimes in small ways, touched the hearts of their students and inspired them.

14. Teachers are at the core of how we will mould our future – at the core of how we must inspire the young Singaporeans who will eventually shape our future.

15. We will give you the best possible support so that you can focus on giving your best for our students. The work is not easy. And it is not getting easier.

16. But we will give you greater support on the job, help you develop as professionals throughout your career, give you more autonomy to shape what you teach, and give you greater recognition and opportunities to advance in your careers.

The Education Service is in Good Shape

17. In April this year, I announced that the Ministry would be conducting a review of the teachers’ career and professional development, reward and recognition, and support structures.

18. We started the review at a good time, when the Education Service is in good shape. This was not a review to find solutions to a broken system.

19. The teaching force stands at 28,500 today, up from 24,600 in 2001, when we launched Edu-Pac (or the Education Service Professional Development and Career Plan) to provide added recognition and improve career prospects for our teachers.

20. We are on-track to reaching 30,000 by 2010. By then, every school will have 10 more teachers than in 2004. In addition, schools will have the resources to hire up to 10 Adjunct Teachers. This means better pupil-teacher ratios in every school. Which means more time and space for teachers to reflect, to pair up in a class, or break up the classes into smaller groups.

21. So this boost in the teaching force - more good teachers in every school - is not just about numbers. It is a key strategy for supporting teachers and injecting more quality into education.

22. The standing of the profession is high. In a public perception survey commissioned by MOE, teaching was viewed by the public as the most respected profession in terms of its contribution to society. Amongst tertiary students, teachers ranked 2^nd highest, next to doctors, and above other professions such as law, banking, and nursing.

23. In the competition for top Singaporean talents too, the Education Service is holding its own. When we lose the top candidates, which we do not like, we lose them to Medicine and R&D careers. But many among our best students are looking at teaching as a choice career.

24. So unlike many other countries, teaching does not suffer from an image problem in Singapore. You’ve all heard the old joke about those who go into teaching - “those who can’t, teach”. We’ve turned it around in Singapore - “those who can, teach” and “those who teach, can”!

25. I am proud that members of the profession continue to uphold this high standing, through your actions and words.

26. The teaching force has become younger, with stepped-up recruitment and the move of the large group of teachers who were recruited in the 1960s into their retirement years. The median age in the profession is now 33 years. And about 36% of our teachers are now 30 years or younger.

27. This represents opportunity as new teachers bring youthful ideas into our schools. But it is also a challenge. We have to ensure we develop and retain as many of the teachers we have recruited in the last 6 years, so that they can acquire experience and become very good teachers. Some will take on leadership, mentorship or specialist roles.

28. We must make the most of this opportunity, and address the challenge of ensuring the Education Service remains a career of choice.

GROW Package

29. Over the past 5 months, the Teacher Development and Recognition Review (TDRR) Steering Committee, headed by Mrs Tan Ching Yee our Second Permanent Secretary, has consulted extensively with teachers. They also got feedback from other stakeholders like parents, members of School Advisory Committees, and our unions. In total, they met up with people in 52 focus groups, and obtained views from 2300 individuals - a large exercise of gathering views from the ground. They also commissioned Ernst and Young Associates to undertake studies of how teachers’ salaries compared to the market.

30. Your feedback has thrown up many useful ideas, which the Steering Committee has adopted or adapted.

31. The result is a new package of measures, called GROW. This represents our commitment to :

the Growth of Education Officers, both professionally and personally;

better Recognition and rewards;

more Opportunities for development in your careers;

and seeing to your Well-being as individuals.

Let me highlight some of the key features of this new package.

Professional Development and Growth

32. We must give teachers every opportunity possible to learn and grow as professionals, throughout their careers. We will be making three key improvements.

33. First, an enhanced sabbatical scheme for teachers. We have heard from many of you about how you would value having a period away from the routine of school, to re-charge your batteries, to do something different, and most of all, to become an even better teacher after taking a break from your regular duties.

34. We will make this possible, by enhancing the Professional Development Leave scheme. Currently, as you know, teachers with 6 years of service enjoy 1 month of half-pay leave for every year of service.

35. From next year, we will introduce a new full-pay leave feature for PDL, for teachers who have 12 years of service. They can take 2½ months of full-pay leave. This means they can take a full school term off, at full pay, to do their sabbaticals.

36. Teachers can use this full term off for a variety of purposes, aimed at developing themselves as professionals. Some may choose to teach in a different type of school - another local school, or an international school or a Special Education school, or even in a school abroad. Some of you may go on a structured Teachers’ Work Attachment, in an organisation quite different from a school. Or you might undertake action research, or studies leading to more advanced certification.

37. Even today, many teachers are using the PDL scheme to good effect. At Hwa Chong Institution, for example, teachers can take sabbaticals for work attachments, studies, or to spend time on reflection. Last year, the Dean of Studies, Ms Yeo Hwee Joo took a 3 week sabbatical with a HR firm in Shanghai. 3 teachers went on sabbatical to attend a four-month diploma in Entrepreneurship at NTU. Other teachers make use of a 1 week sabbatical that they are given each term (when HCI students take their sabbaticals) - some teachers who are doing their post graduate studies use the sabbatical to complete their assignments.

38. Some of our teachers also go on extended stints under the PDL scheme. Ms Kelly Teo Chwee Lee, formerly of Teck Whye Secondary School, completed a 1-year attachment to AWWA (or Asian Women’s Welfare Association) Special School last year. She wanted to learn about teaching children with special needs. So she went off on half pay. Kelly’s interaction with the children, parents and teachers at AWWA Special School sparked off in her the desire to develop a deeper expertise in the area of special education. She is now contributing as a Special Education Officer at the Education Programmes Division, MOE HQ.

39. Mrs Malarvezi Rajkumar from Montfort Junior School spent 3 weeks in May this year at the Overseas Family School, observing teachers from diverse international backgrounds and different teaching styles. She gained lots of ideas. She told us she was struck by the way teachers communicated with their pupils from Nursery to Grade 5. There was a spirit of respect and polite communication between teacher and pupil no matter how difficult the situation was. She also observed the way the teachers planned integrated lessons. She returned to share her experience with her colleagues back at Montfort Junior School. Like others who have spent time teaching in foreign schools, the experience sparks off something - a new approach, or a reflection on our current approaches. It broadens perspectives.

40. We have nearly 8,000 teachers with 12 years of experience who can benefit from the enhanced sabbatical scheme for professional development. It will of course not be possible for all of them to do their sabbatical immediately, or in one year. We have to space this out, so that schools can obtain suitable replacements. Also, it will be better to take a bit of time to work out meaningful sabbatical programmes, so that teachers get as much benefit from their time away from school. But we expect that all eligible teachers with a good proposal for professional development will be able to take their full-pay sabbaticals over the next 5 years or so.

41. We will be quite unique, internationally, in providing these arrangements for our teachers. Few other public school systems can afford to allow their teachers to go on full or half-pay leave to develop themselves, on quite the same scale.

42. Second, we will introduce a new Learning and Development Scheme for all Education Officers. From next year, Education Officers will be entitled to claim up to $400 or $700 per year, depending on their years in service, for learning and development related expenses. Officers with 15 years of service or more get the higher amount. You can use the funds under the scheme to do almost anything related to learning. You could purchase books or subscribe to magazines that you feel will broaden your perspectives or keep you up to date with developments in the world. Or purchase personal productivity devices, such as PDAs and webcams. Or even take a language course to open up new perspectives for you.

43. Third, we will appoint a senior person in each school to look after staff development (School Staff Developer).

44. We have looked at best practices from around the world, and among our own schools. Their experience suggests that the most meaningful professional development occurs when the whole teaching community in the school comes together to develop learning opportunities, and links these back to the work of the school. Several of our schools have already taken on this approach - a whole-school approach - for the professional development of their teachers.

45. I will cite just one example, which is the Staff Development Blueprint at Bukit Panjang Government High School. It aims to develop all teachers to be model teachers across the curriculum. It means a learning and sharing culture that brings teachers together. A team that the school calls Staff Development Spearhead has been formed to identify the learning needs of all the staff, taking into account their different stages of growth as teachers. And they are also taking all their teachers on learning journeys outside the school, to learn about good practices for staff development and staff well-being in other organisations, such as the Civil Defence Academy and Police force. They visited CID, and also visited 2 of our primary schools to see what they could learn.

46. The new position we are creating, of School Staff Developer (SSD) will help schools look at the professional development of teachers proactively. The SSD will be an on-site coach, a source of expertise of good teaching practices, and a training facilitator for teachers. He or she would ensure that training and professional development programmes are customised to teachers’ needs and support the school’s goals. The SSD can be either an HOD or a more senior teacher in the school, and will work collaboratively with the other senior teachers and Heads of Departments to mentor teachers and guide them in developing their careers.

47. As the School Staff Developer is a new role, we will prototype it in a few schools next year. We will support their work by providing them training, consultancy support and funds for school-based professional development initiatives. A sum of $10,000 will be made available to schools with a SSD from 2007.

48. Next, as a signal of our commitment to teacher development, we will build a new centre for teacher development. This centre will serve as a hub for professional development activities, and will complement the training that is currently carried out in schools and clusters. It will incorporate both state-of-the-art facilities for training and development, as well heritage elements which bring to visitors the contributions of the Education Service and its many outstanding individuals in the past.

49. When fully functioning, this centre will be a hub of activity, with teachers, NIE professors, and visiting academics from local or foreign higher institutions of learning to come together. It will be a place for Master Teachers to share expertise with teachers from across zones and clusters. Teachers who take professional leave can spend some time here attending courses or use the available resources to support their research.

50. I got a taste of how this works when I met just last week with some of the Research Activists from the TLLM Prototype Schools. We call them RAs, but they insist there is nothing R(A) about their work. Two days a week, they make their home in the MOE library, part of which has been converted for their use. They work on their own research topics, get help from NIE professors and MOE HQ staff, and pass along useful articles and information they come across which may be relevant to the other RAs. They rub ideas off each other, and have a rub-on effect on their colleagues back in school. One of the RAs, Ms Fazlinda Junid, told me how she picked up ideas from another RA, Ms Ms Lau Wen Li of Crescent Girls’ School, on the inquiry-based approach that Wen Li had adopted in Crescent. Fazlinda was game, so she gave it a try herself in Mathematics lessons back in Boon Lay Secondary School.

51. Our education system has reached a stage where we cannot wait to copy ideas from others. We will keep learning from others wherever we can. But we need to define our own directions, conduct our own research and increasingly create our own knowledge out of our own experience.

52. What the RAs are doing will grow into a movement in the years to come. And we have many other teachers, who are going beyond teaching a set MOE curriculum, to develop their own school-based curriculum to help their students engage better in their learning.

53. We welcome your suggestions on how we can make the new centre for teacher development a vibrant hub of learning and sharing within the profession. Please give us your feedback on the same MOE website on TDRR where you gave your earlier feedback on this review of the profession.

Recognition and Opportunities for Teachers

54. We will ensure that compensation for Education Officers remains competitive. We got Ernst & Young Associates to compare our current salary package for Education Officers against market benchmarks. They found that salaries are generally competitive. But there is room for us to make improvements.

55. Let me first make a brief mention of starting salaries. While starting salaries for most Education Officers are competitive, we will make adjustments for a few groups of recruits – those with Pass degrees and Polytechnic diplomas. From this month, MOE is increasing starting salaries of these groups by 1 increment (equivalent to an increase of 5-8%).

56. We should also ensure adequate rewards for our teachers who joined the Education Service as mid-career officers. Some of them taken large pay cuts to join us. Like many of our teachers, they are in the Service for the passion, not for the money. But we should review the salaries that they earn, once they are performing well as teachers, so that their contributions are recognized in line with other good teachers.

57. Our mid-career officers can bring in valuable insights with their working experience outside the Education Service. Some have gone on to assume leadership positions. Like Ng Teng Joo, Principal of Henry Park Primary School who used to be an engineer. Or Charles Surin, who was Vice-Principal of Northland Secondary School and is now attending the Leaders in Education Programme. Charles worked in Ogilvy & Mather, SMRT and TCS. Or Nur Johari Salleh, who was one of this year’s PAT winners. He was an engineer before he came into teaching. He’s now at Deyi Secondary as HOD for Student Welfare and Development.

58. Next, we want to strengthen retention benefits for teachers, to recognize those who stay with the Service.

59. We will increase the annual CONNECT Plan deposit quantum by about 30% within the first 15 years of service and about 20% thereafter. With the revision, a teacher with 15 years of service will get total CONNECT quantum of about $57,000 to $78,000, compared with the $44,000 to $61,000 under current terms. A teacher with 40 years of service would receive CONNECTquantums of $120,000 to $160,000, compared with $90,000 to $120,000 under current contribution rates. The revised quantums will take effect in 2007.

60. We know our Education Officers value teamwork. This has to be our ethic, in every school. To support this, we will increase the quantum for the Outstanding Contribution Award from the current flat rate of $3,000 per school to a sum ranging from $3,000 to $10,000, depending on staff strength. Schools will use this to recognise the teams that have contributed significantly to the school. (The individual award remains at $1,000.)

61. Our next initiative is to also open up more opportunities for career advancement and promotion.

62. Let me start with classroom teachers, who are the backbone of the Education Service. A new career grade, i.e. GEO 1A3/GEO 2A3, will be created for classroom teachers. They can look forward to an additional promotion during their teaching careers. Teachers who have the potential to move on to the Senior Education officer grades will also benefit from this additional promotion, without suffering any delay in their progression into the SEO grade.

63. Senior Teachers will soon get new options for their career development. Schools will now be able to appoint Senior Teachers in more varied areas of expertise, based on their needs. We will expand the focal areas for Senior Teachers’ to include school-based curriculum design, testing & assessment and counseling. This will support the move towards greater ownership amongst schools and teachers of the curriculum, and greater school-based innovation.

64. A new apex position along the Teaching Track, will be created. Outstanding teachers may now look forward to promotion to this new apex grade, Master Teacher Level 2, which will be equivalent in job level to a Vice-Principal. Those at Master Teacher 2 will operate at the zonal and national level.

65. We will also enhance the promotional prospects for Heads of Department (HODs). Outstanding HODs may now look forward to promotion to the SEO 1A1 grade, in recognition of the important professional and managerial roles that these HODs play in schools.

Well-Being for Our People

66. We will continue to give teachers the time and space they need to reflect, and to infuse quality in what they do. We must try our best to make the working environment in every school conducive and nurturing for our teachers.

67. In the last 2 years, we have progressively deployed new, specialised staff in schools, to take over certain duties previously done by teachers. These include Co-curricular Programme Executives, Full-time School Counsellors (FTSCs) and Special Needs Officers (SNOs). We have also increased the Manpower Grant for schools, and introduced the Adjunct Teaching (AJT) scheme.

68. The Five Day Week is helping. Despite some teething problems as schools re-adjusted their schedules and removed less critical activities, the Five Day Work Week has allowed many of our teachers achieve better work-life harmony.

69. We will enhance the Part-Time Teaching Scheme. The PTTS is currently open to serving female teachers with children under 6 years of age, as well as teachers aged 55 years or above. In support of the Government’s pro-family policies, both female and male married officers with children under 12 years will now be eligible for the PTTS.

70. In addition to what MOE can do, schools can do much to adopt best practices in ensuring the well-being of their staff.

71. There are many good practices among our schools. Anderson Junior College has put in place special timetable arrangements to allow staff to free up time for personal matters. It has also employed temporary staff and e-specialists to off-load teaching staff in administrative work and help them in producing e-resources for their teaching.

72. There are many other examples, and I encourage all of you to think of what you can do in your own schools to keep a healthy work-life balance.

73. A teacher’s work is very demanding during term time. In addition, our teachers return to school during the school holidays to provide additional coaching, oversee CCAs, undertake professional development, and contribute to school planning.

74. Most of our schools have adopted the good practice of ensuring that their teachers are able to enjoy a good break during the long school holidays in June and December.

75. Ernst and Young Associates did a survey among our school leaders to find out how the teachers in their schools spent their time during the school vacations. I am happy to see that more than 80% of their teachers had 2 weeks or more of break during the June holidays. For the year-end holidays, more than 80% also had 3 weeks or more of break.

76. I must qualify that this feedback is from our school leaders. However, our Principals agree on the importance of giving teachers a break. I am sure that with the sharing of best practices and good planning, all our schools will be able to give their teachers a reasonable break during the school holidays.

Conclusion

77. So, here it is, the entire GROW package in summary.

78. A word also for our Executive and Administrative Staff (EAS) . They too are part of the team as we seek to achieve our mission of Education. We appreciate the strong partnership and support we get our EAS colleagues. MOE will also seek to make a career in MOE a fulfilling one, for all, Education Officers and EAS.

79. We value our teachers, as professionals and as individuals. I hope that you will take full advantage of the opportunities we are opening up, to develop yourself.

80. I also hope that you will stand back from time to time, and ask questions about how the way we teach our students, and how we assess and examine them, can be made better. Or how we can do more to shape their characters, and build the ruggedness of mind that they will need to make good in the future.

81. Keep your hearts in the job. Teaching is about strong hearts. You are giving a lot, and you will be disappointed from time to time. But keep at it, and find a way to engage every student who is at danger of getting lost. Find a way of nurturing and celebrating every talent, because every talent will count for Singapore.

82. I wish you an engaging experience for the rest of the afternoon.