Press Releases
National Honours for Inspirational Young Educators
Three young teachers received the Outstanding Youth in Education Award (OYEA) from Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Education, at the National Institute of Education (NIE) Teachers’ Investiture Ceremony on 13 July 2009. The award is a national recognition of the important role that young teachers play in nurturing the future of our nation. It recognises excellent young teachers for their enthusiasm, energy and active involvement in the development of youth beyond the formal curriculum.
This year’s OYEA winners are:
- Mr Eugene Ng Ming Teck, 29, from Jing Shan Primary School
- Ms Leow Hwee Fen, 27, from Anderson Secondary School
- Mr Muhammad Rezal Bin Ramli, 29, from Ping Yi Secondary School
These three exceptional teachers were selected from the 12 finalists shortlisted from a total of 319 nominated teachers. Strongly anchored in their beliefs that education is more than the teaching of content and various subjects, they seek to nurture all-rounded individuals through the lessons they deliver. They have also distinguished themselves by their deep passion for the subjects they teach, which translate into a desire to inspire and develop their students in those areas. They have adopted innovative approaches both in and beyond the classroom, and demonstrated dedication to maximising their students’ potential. The achievements of these awardees are outlined in Annex A (68kb .pdf).
Since its inception in 1999, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the National Youth Council (NYC) have awarded 30 outstanding young educators, including this year’s winners.
The OYEA recipients were nominated by the schools and the public, and are shortlisted by MOE for interviews by the OYEA Selection Panel comprising representatives from MOE, NIE and NYC.
Besides honouring the achievements of young educators, the OYEA aims to inspire youths to take up teaching as a career. They will be an excellent role model for the younger generation. All OYEA awardees receive a trophy and citation certificate, and they will also be fully sponsored to attend an overseas professional development trip. The list of the 2009 finalists and the details of the OYEA are found in Annex B (76kb .pdf).