Press Releases
More Professional Development Opportunities for Mother Tongue Language Teachers
Mother Tongue Language teaching in schools will receive a boost from MOE initiatives to enhance the recruitment and professional development of MTL teachers.
In line with the Chinese, Malay and Tamil Language reviews on curriculum and pedagogy, the Ministry is focusing efforts on augmenting MTL teachers’ knowledge and skills. The initiatives are also part of the Ministry’s continuous efforts to improve the recruitment and development of different groups of teachers.
Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education, announced these initiatives during a visit to Tampines Junior College, a Malay Language Elective Programme (MLEP) centre.
(A) New Upgrading Pathways
Part-Time Malay Language (ML) Degree Programme
To offer ML teachers more upgrading options, a part-time ML degree programme will be put in place at UniSIM from 2009. UniSIM currently offers a part-time degree course for Chinese Language and Tamil Language, but there is no part-time BA (ML) course available.
Direct Admission from Diploma in Education (Dip Ed) at NIE to Bachelor of Arts (BA) at UniSIM.
To encourage more Tamil Language (TL) teachers to get their basic TL degrees and to meet their aspirations, the Ministry will work with UniSIM to structure a programme for qualified graduates of the Dip Ed (TL) programme to gain direct admission into UniSIM’s part-time BA (TL) programme, without having to first gain two years of teaching experience. UniSIM would also accredit some modules of the Dip Ed at NIE so that the length of the BA (TL) could be reduced. Thus, teachers who qualify for this route can start their degree course immediately and complete it in a shorter period. This recommendation will be implemented this year. Previously, TL teachers could only enrol in the part-time BA (TL) at UniSIM after gaining 2 years of teaching experience1.
(B) Enhanced Professional Development
Learning Roadmap and More Development Opportunities
A learning roadmap for MTL teachers, including Senior Teachers (STs) and Master Teachers (MTs), will be drawn up to guide MTL teachers in their professional development. MOE will also be structuring more development opportunities for MTL teachers. These include courses to enhance their knowledge and skills in action research, pedagogy and assessment. More overseas immersion programmes, summer institute programmes and work experience programmes will also be developed to further expose MTL teachers to the culture behind the language.
Grooming and Development of Senior Teachers and Master Teachers
STs and MTs are leaders of the Teaching Track. They play a key role to bring the teaching and learning of MTL to the next level. MOE will actively identify and groom potential STs and MTs. Existing STs and MTs would be given more opportunities to attend conferences, participate in study trips as well as attachments to NIE. In addition, MTs will be able to apply for overseas attachments to learn from their counterparts in other countries.
(C) Targeted Recruitment and Enhanced Pre-Service Programmes
MTL Specialist Scholarship/Award for MTL Study.
MOE will provide support to more students, especially pre-university students taking MTL at the H2 level, to consider teaching as a career. These students will be exposed to teaching early via teaching-related service learning projects (such as teaching of conversational MTL in schools), mentorship programmes and career recruitment talks. More students will be encouraged to take up the local and overseas MTL Teaching Specialist Scholarship/Award to study the Mother Tongue languages.
Enhancement of Pre-Service Programmes.
Trainee teachers in the Dip Ed and Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Secondary) programmes can look forward to additional modules to enhance their proficiency in language and content knowledge. Trainee teachers in the Bachelor of Arts (Education) (BA[Ed]) programme will be provided with opportunities for an extended overseas immersion programme. Information on the pre-service programmes for teachers is at Annex A.
About 900 teachers, students and stakeholders were consulted in 2007 through surveys and focus groups.
Annex A
Pre-Service Training Programmes at NIE
MOE recruits both trained and untrained teachers for the Education Service. Untrained teachers who are recruited will undergo pre-service training before they start teaching. Depending on the type of training required, the pre-service training programmes range from 1 year to 4 years. Pre-service training programmes at NIE include the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) (Sec), PGDE (Pri), Bachelor of Arts (BA)/ Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Education, Diploma in Education (Dip. Ed) and the Special Training Programme (STP). The training covers areas in content and pedagogy, and includes a segment on practicum and/ or school experience.
Pre-service programmes for untrained MTL teachers are provided in the table below.
| Scheme/ Programme | Level | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MTL Teaching Scheme (Special Training Programme - for ‘O’ Level holders) |
Primary | 4 years |
| Diploma in Education | Primary and Secondary | 2 years |
| Bachelor of Arts (Education) | Primary and Secondary | 4 years |
| PGDE (Sec) | Secondary | 1 year |
| PGDE (Pri) | Primary | 1 year |
Annex B
Opportunities for Professional Upgrading and Development
The teaching profession is also a learning profession, where the fraternity continue to learn and grow as they impart knowledge. In so doing, they will demonstrate to their students their love for learning and the importance of lifelong learning. MOE had recently enhanced financial support and leave schemes to enable more teachers to upgrade themselves to attain basic and masters degrees. Non-graduate teachers can leverage on the support provided via five Professional Development Packages to obtain their degree status while graduate teachers can do so to achieve higher qualifications.
Details of the five Professional Development Packages are provided in the table below.
| Package | Description | Types of Degree Programmes |
|---|---|---|
| Package A | Interest-free study loans of $3,500 - $9,000 per annum and no-pay leave | Bachelor/Masters Full-time / Part-time Local /Overseas |
| Package B | Reimbursement of course fees of up to 80%, subject to cap of $6,000 | Masters Part-time Local |
| Package C | Study grants of $9,000 - $12,000 per annum and no-pay leave | Bachelor / Masters / PhD Full-time Local/Overseas |
| Package D | Study awards with full sponsorship of course fees and full-pay / no-pay leave | Bachelor Full-time Local/Overseas |
| Package E | Postgraduate scholarships with full sponsorship of course fees and full-pay leave | Masters / PhD Full-time/Part-time Local/Overseas |
Package A may be taken with Packages C or D.
Non-graduate MTL teachers may choose from Packages A, C or D, and graduate MTL teachers may choose from Packages A, B, C or E. For MTL teachers who are keen to obtain a basic degree from local institutions, UniSIM offers part-time Bachelor of Arts programmes for CL and TL, and NIE offers full-time Bachelor of Arts programmes for CL and ML. Graduate MTL teachers who are keen to obtain a masters degree from local institutions could consider the following programmes in NIE – Masters of Education in Tamil Language (MEd (TL)), Masters of Education in Malay Language (MEd (ML)) and Masters of Education in Chinese Language (MEd (CL)). In addition to the programmes offered in local universities, teachers may pursue their studies in overseas universities.
Footnotes:
- This is a requirement for admission into Open University ↩