1.      Mrs Chin Ngan Peng, 59, is a teacher at Kong Hwa School. She has been the school's Dance Co-ordinator since 1983 and is responsible for the dance items for all school functions. She was awarded the Long Service Award in 1996.

2.      Even after 40 years in teaching, Mrs Chin's passion and zeal for her vocation remains unabated. Her gift of unconditional love towards all children has led many difficult and underachieving pupils to turn over a new leaf.

3.      Her care and concern for her pupils extends beyond her school responsibilities. When she learned that a pupil, Valerie He Jia Hui, was dying from cancer, she voluntarily went over to the pupil's home to coach her so that the child would be able to fulfil her wish to pass the Primary School Leaving Examination. Valerie, who passed away this year, achieved 3As and a B for the PSLE.

4.      Mrs Chin is also a fine example of a life-long learner. Although nearing retirement age, she is intent on getting a diploma in Primary Maths Teaching. She has completed six modules of the course and is continuing with the seventh module. Her interest in helping underachievers has also motivated her to take up a course on "Teaching of Primary Mathematics to Underachieving Learners".

5.      Mrs Chin's quest for excellence in teaching has led her to contribute to the professional growth of her colleagues. She has conducted workshops and sharing sessions for her colleagues on various aspects of Mathematics teaching. She also encourages teamwork and camaraderie through numerous projects and meetings with her colleagues.

6.      Her approachable nature and enthusiasm for teaching has gained her respect and admiration from pupils, parents and colleagues. Her positive nature and proactive spirit has helped her develop close relationships with her pupils and their parents. Many of her ex-pupils are now her close friends and rally around to support her in the dance club and other school activities.

7.      Mrs Chin remarks that it is her dedication to seeing "our nation's young develop that has filled me with vigour and fuelled my passion and zeal for teaching". Her greatest satisfaction in teaching comes from the thank-you cards and well wishes she has received from former pupils, and the priceless memories of her time with these ex-pupils.

Mrs Nora Teo, Punggol Primary School

1.      Mrs Nora Teo, 53, started teaching at 17. She is the Head of Department for Science at Punggol Primary School, and a facilitator for the "7 Habits of Personal Effectiveness for Teachers". This is not the first time she has been conferred an award. Among the other awards she has received are as the leader for a WITs project that won the National QCC Gold Award in May 1999, and the QCC Public Sector Gold Award (1998). Her WITs team also won the National QCC Gold Award in 2000.

2.      Mrs Teo recognises that pupils must be respected and treated with dignity. She encourages and counsels pupils to discover for themselves why an action is wrong. Occasions when pupils misbehave are turned into learning points for character development.

3.      Her concern for the character and moral development of her pupils motivates her to plan projects and programmes that impart values such as teamwork and service. She has made developing pupil leadership a departmental goal and conducts leadership training sessions for her pupils.

4.     Mrs Teo is a future-oriented individual who initiates new ideas and programmes in the school. She has introduced wormaries, data loggers, microscopes and other equipment to provide an environment for experiential learning. She challenges high achievers to greater heights and motivates average and weaker pupils by setting them achievable targets. She was responsible for the school's very high performance in Science at the PSLE for the last three years.

5.      Mrs Teo debunks the misperception that older teachers cannot be IT-savvy. She has taken up new knowledge and skills in IT and enthusiastically embraces new initiatives for teaching. Currently, she is passionately pursuing knowledge in the life sciences.

6.      Mrs Teo believes that her greatest achievement in teaching has been in "being a part of the leading force behind the making of a great neighbourhood school".

Mrs Audrey Ting Yee Han, Nanyang Girls' High School

1.      Mrs Audrey Ting Yee Han, 41, is a teacher at Nanyang Girls' High School. She was appointed Head of Department for English Language and Literature in 2001. She served as a Specialist Writer at the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore from 1992 to 1995.

2.     Mrs Ting has made her mark on her pupils with her charisma and dedication. She sets very clear expectations for her pupils and encourages them to live up to these expectations. As part of her efforts to develop a sense of good values and morals in her students, she carefully selects comprehension passages and themes for essay writing and engages her classes in discussions that encourage her students to think of such issues.

3.     Her love and passion for Literature and the English Language has ignited in her pupils a similar interest in these subjects. Her teaching strategies fire her students' curiosity, innovation and creativity. She has implemented programmes that promote independent learning, such as pupil portfolios for creative writing and the innovative English Language Programme 21, which offers electives like Advance Literature, Interpretative Speech and Journalism. She employs various teaching strategies to challenge the minds of her pupils and to prompt them to think "outside the box". Under her tutelage and mentoring, debaters have distinguished themselves in competitions.

4.     Mrs Ting creatively integrates performance and community spirit by organising projects such as the sale of handicraft and refreshment during the school's Choral and Drama Nights. These activities were well received by pupils and the money raised was donated to the needy.

5.     A keen pursuer of knowledge, Mrs Ting reads widely and shares her knowledge as mentor to the new and young teachers in her department. Despite her various commitments, she aims for a high degree of excellence in all that she has undertaken.

Mr Lim Chiow Huat, Broadrick Secondary School

1.      Mr Lim Chiow Huat, 55, is the Subject Head for the Media Resource Library and the Coordinator for the Pupil Management System at Broadrick Secondary School.

2.      Mr Lim is a respected figure in the school. His unquenchable love for Mathematics has earned him the title "Father of Mathematics" from his students. He uses unconventional teaching methods and learning models to develop independent thinking. He infuses fun and humour into his lessons and uses creative strategies to teach Mathematics. For example, he set up a midget golf display-cum-exhibit to teach the concept of Prime Numbers. His Saturday and school holiday lessons are very well attended by pupils. He encourages pupils to participate in seminars and external workshops and even subsidises these activities. He also selects and trains pupils for the annual Mathematics Olympiad to stretch them further. Mr Lim leaves such an indelible mark on his pupils that one of them went on to major in Mathematics at the university. This ex-pupil is now teaching Mathematics with him at the same school.

3.      Mr Lim's concern for the welfare of his pupils takes him beyond the call of duty. He conscientiously reaches out to pupils with behavioural and social problems, especially those from disadvantaged homes. He is sympathetic and has a listening ear for all who seek his help and even volunteers to send sick pupils home. He sacrifices his personal time to provide extra remedial lessons to help pupils cope with their academic work.

4.      Mr Lim has an open classroom management style that encourages divergent views from his pupils. He believes that character development is as important as developing the mind. In his interaction with his pupils, in the classroom and outside, he subtly develops their character and moral fibre. For example, he shares his life experiences with them and draws out the learning points. He joins his pupils in community service and has even matched, dollar for dollar, funds raised by his pupils.

5.      A believer that age is no barrier to learning, he obtained his degree from the Open University Degree Programme at age 50. In order to remain dynamic in his teaching, he plans and devises new ways of teaching Mathematics and takes much delight in sharing these new ideas with his peers.

6.      Mr Lim has very good rapport with both pupils and teaching and non-teaching staff, and is highly regarded as a peer leader. His humility, generosity of spirit, sincerity and integrity make him special to all who know him.