Press Releases
Growing the Education Service
The Education Service must continue to evolve in response to the needs of the changing economy and profile of Singaporeans. To do this, the Ministry Of Education (MOE) needs passionate teachers, inspiring school leaders and a dedicated corps of allied educators and executive administrative staff to work together as a team to deliver quality education in our schools.
Growing the Education Service
With more than 29,300 trained teachers currently in service, MOE is on track to meet its target of a 30,000 strong teaching force in 2010. MOE will continue to recruit from the top 30 per cent of each cohort, moving towards all-graduate teacher recruitment by 2015.
MOE has reached the halfway mark in moving towards its recruitment target of 3,000 teachers this year. Close to 10,000 applications have been received, and about 1,500 candidates have been recruited. While recruitment targets have been raised, selection remains stringent and rigorous. Only candidates with the passion and aptitude for teaching are recruited as teachers. Mid-career candidates now have the opportunity to experience teaching first-hand through the Project Classroom initiative before they decide to embark on a teaching career.
The Ministry has also recruited about 380 allied educators under the new Allied Educator Scheme, and expects to meet the target of 680 allied educators in 2009. Besides offering a competitive career scheme, MOE will put in place a competency-based appraisal framework and professional development schemes customised for the unique roles of allied educators.
Developing the Career Tracks of the Education Service
The Ministry will continue to strengthen the 3 career tracks of the Education Service to continue offering good career prospects for our teachers, educational specialists and school leaders, and provide them with different pathways to meet their professional aspirations.
MOE is committed to developing good officers on the Leadership Track into future school leaders who will steer schools towards excellence. MOE is also expanding the number of Senior Specialists on its Senior Specialist Track, who will meet MOE’s needs for deep expertise in various professional areas to strengthen the quality of the education system. Three Lead Specialists and 28 new Senior Specialists have been appointed in Jan 09, bringing the total number of Senior Specialists to 138.
MOE has also appointed two more teachers as Master Teacher Level 2, which is the pinnacle appointment on the Teaching Track. With their appointment, there are now a total of 23 Master Teachers and 1,029 Senior Teachers, who together, form the pedagogical leadership of the teaching force.
The Ministry will explore ways to further enhance the Teaching Track to ensure that it continues to be an attractive proposition for teachers. This includes grooming more outstanding teachers into Senior Teachers and Master Teachers, who will impart their expertise and experience to their colleagues and develop new pedagogies to meet the learning needs of a rapidly changing world.
Building a Culture of Professional Pride and Excellence
A quality 21st century teaching force requires not only the passion for the holistic development of students, but also the know-how and professional expertise to facilitate effective learning. Our teachers need to possess a strong sense of professional pride and be driven towards achieving excellence in their profession. Teachers, school leaders and senior specialists are currently engaged in discussions on the importance of developing a culture of professional excellence as part of a shared vision for the Education Service.
As in any profession that strives for excellence, our teachers would have to form their own professional communities of practice where knowledge and practice can be shared and built upon. MOE will support teachers in growing Professional Learning Communities, and will explore how these communities can become teacher-led structures that drive the professional development of the wider teaching fraternity.