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10 September 2020

The Ministry of Education will be increasing the availability of career guidance to students to help them better handle the fast-changing education landscape and job market.

Each junior college will have one education and career guidance counsellor, while every two secondary schools will have one.

Education Minister Lawrence Wong said that the number of student welfare officers in schools will also be doubled to better support vulnerable students.

The increase in counsellors and welfare officers will be implemented in phases, starting January next year.

MOE said it will also increase the number of middle- and senior-level positions for allied educators in order to nurture various domain expertise and strengthen professional leadership.

09 September 2020

Seven teachers received the President’s Award for Teachers from President Halimah Yacob last Thursday. This award is the highest honour for educators in Singapore.

The awards was given out at a virtual ceremony, which was also attended by Education Minister Lawrence Wong.

The winners were selected from a list of 17 finalists who were judged by a panel chaired by Ms Lai Wei Lin, the Second Permanent Secretary for Education, and Mr Wong Siew Hoong, the Director-General of Education.

The seven award recipients will get to go on an overseas study trip as part of their professional development.

Honouring teachers in a speech at the ceremony, President Halimah Yacob said: “As a teacher, your work has a lifelong impact on your students. Beyond academic teaching, you are also role models for your students. It is therefore important that we continue to develop our teachers with the right values and skills to meet the evolving demands of our education system.”

09 September 2020

Disruption to schooling this year will cause a skill loss in this generation of students that could eventually lead to as much as a 1.5 percent drop in global economic output for the rest of this century.

This was an estimate recently derived by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development .

“Learning loss will lead to skill loss, and the skills people have relate to their productivity,” according to the OECD report on the matter.

Governments around the world closed schools this year for as long as 10 weeks, which typically represents one-third of a year of schooling.

One impact of the school closures this year was a widening of the gap in educational opportunities between the rich and poor. Children with Internet access, computers, and supportive families fared better than their peers without.

Even as schools in many countries reopen, big challenges remain for education, according to the OECD report, such as how to integrate students back into the physical learning environment in a way that is both safe and sustainable.

04 September 2020

Minister of State for Education as well as Social and Family Development Sun Xueling said in Parliament that the Singapore education system needs to evolve to ensure that our country maintains a fair and just society.

Education must remain a social enabler so that everyone, especially those who may have started with less, have hope and confidence that they have equal access to opportunities to do well.

Ms Sun said: “I believe our social conscience tells us that we do not want to create a self-fulfilling class system in Singapore that is entrenched and segregates individuals, limiting them in their endeavours, and stifling hopes and dreams.”

The government has invested heavily in the recruitment of teachers, as well as in their progression and professional development, said Ms Sun.

That being said, Singapore also needs to move away from an overemphasis on grades, “not just within the school system, but also a broader mindset shift in society, including from among employers and parents.”

Ms Sun added: “And we need to make real changes to some of the current ways of doing things, such as greater recognition of skills when evaluating someone for a job.”

04 September 2020

According to the latest Times Higher Education rankings, the National University of Singapore has retained its position as the world’s 25th best university and third in Asia.

Nanyang Technological University moved up one place to the 47th position this year.

Times Higher Education assesses universities on 13 performance indicators which are grouped into five areas: teaching, research, citations, international outlook, and industry income.

NUS said it was heartened to be ranked among the leading universities in the world and Asia.

NTU said the Times Higher Education ranking is yet another indicator of its continued upward trajectory in all the major global educational indices.

Educators and university administrators have long argued that these university rankings should be halted, and effort spent instead on supporting struggling students and academics.

31 August 2020

SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) will introduce more courses to assist mid career professionals in taking up roles in the built environment sector.

SSG has stated that around 900 opportunities in the sector will be progressively made available from this month, with support from various training providers, including the BCA Academy, Institute of Technical Education, National University of Singapore and Singapore Polytechnic.

The courses that SSG will introduce are in areas such as construction and facilities management, security and environmental services.

These opportunities are part of the SGUnited Skills Programme, a full-time training programme ranging from six to 12 months tailored for workers looking to upgrade their skills.

SSG said it works with the various training providers and industry leaders to ensure that the courses are designed to equip trainees with in-demand skills that companies are looking for.

28 August 2020

Five community development councils (CDCs) held a week-long event consisting of over 50 online workshops, webinars and masterclasses. The topics covered included professional advice on employability such as how to prepare for virtual interviews, and skills such as personal grooming or video editing. Services like career coaching were also available.

Four of the district mayors – Ms Low Yen Ling (South West district), Ms Denise Phua (Central Singapore district), Mr Desmond Choo (North East district) and Mr Alex Yam (North West district) – held a media conference during the week-long event. They were also joined by SkillsFuture Singapore chief executive Ong Tze-Ch’in, Employability and Employment Institute chief executive Gilbert Tan and chief executive and founder of artiste management company FLY Entertainment Irene Ang.

Ms Low, who is Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth, as well as for Trade and Industry, said the topics that were covered were “tactical and current”.

Ms Phua added that “learning agility is the new currency to survive and thrive in this new age”, and learning today is no longer confined to classrooms or official school years.

SSG’s Mr Ong said the collaboration between the CDCs will bring the SkillsFuture national movement closer to the community.

28 August 2020

Singapore has over 30,000 teachers but our teaching force is among the youngest in the world. The median age is only slightly above 35 years old, compared with around 43 to 45 worldwide.

Singapore teachers are also among the most hardworking, clocking in over 30 school teaching hours per week excluding time spent on extra curricular activities.

Japanese teachers reported working even longer hours, at 54 hours in a week in total.

MOE has previously highlighted that most Singapore teachers expressed satisfaction with their job, and that young teachers bring “diverse perspectives and renewed energy into the teaching force”.

In recent years MOE has increased the support staff in schools, including providing more school counsellors and allied educators.