SPEECH BY MR MOHAMAD MAIDIN PACKER MOHD, PARLIAMENTARY
SECRETARY (EDUCATION) AND MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR
MARINE PARADE GRC, AT THE OPENING OF THE IT WORKSHOP FOR
TEACHERS AT THE AUDITORIUM, SINGAPORE POLYTECHNIC
ON THURSDAY, 1ST JUNE 2000 AT 9 AM

Good morning.

        I am very pleased to be with you here today at this IT workshop for our teachers organised by the Singapore Polytechnic.

2     Over the years, we have seen tremendous advances in the development of both computer hardware and software. Microprocessors are not only getting more and more powerful at accelerated speeds; highly sophisticated tools have also enabled programmers to turn out better software with more functionality and in less time.

3     Information technology (IT) has made inroads into almost every facet of life, be it in business, entertainment, manufacturing, travel or medicine. Whether we like it or not, IT is pervasive in influence, extensive in reach and intensive in application. No industry or profession can afford to ignore it. Hence, IT literacy no longer offers competitive advantage but has instead become a pre-requisite for survival in the new global economy.

4     Given the pace of development and the depth of penetration of IT in society, it is important that our educators ride the wave of the IT revolution competently. As crucibles of a learning nation, schools and Institutes of Higher Learning cannot afford to be left behind. They must be well equipped to prepare our students to work in an IT-intensive environment.

5     Under the Masterplan for IT in Education launched in 1997, we are targeting to provide one computer for every two students by 2002. This is a very generous ratio by any standards. However, the physical and technological infrastructure must be complemented by an effective and continuous teacher training programme for IT to achieve curricular objectives. To this end, I believe most of you have already undergone training in basic IT skills, using word processing and presentation software as well as the Internet to search for information. In addition, the majority of you here have also received at least 30 hours of core training, learning the pedagogic principles of integrating IT in teaching to enhance learning for your students.

6     We must now build upon these basic IT competencies and identify more specific computer skills that can be tailored for specific groups of teachers. For example, an Art teacher may be interested in computer graphics and design, while those teaching the sciences may perhaps like to focus on using and developing digital resources for science. Yet other teachers may wish to develop competencies in web page design and/or programming. The acquisition of these more specialised and advanced IT skills will help schools to excel in the use of IT in education.

7     In order to develop better IT skills, interest and relevant training are especially important. When there is interest, there will be self-motivation. Mastery of the relevant skills then becomes a personal goal. We can find many examples of this among software developers. A lot of the shareware and freeware available on the Internet were developed out of personal interest, challenge and passion rather than solely for monetary gain. Consequently, some of them are offered to us for free while others may only ask for a token sum of money. I hope that all of you will find some interesting IT niche to develop yourselves in, be it something that is closely related to your particular subject expertise or others that are more generic.

8     In developing higher-order skills, the availability of relevant training at the right level and time is necessary to speed up the acquisition of specific skills and knowledge. We have to realise that the "shelf-life" of IT skills and knowledge is relatively short. They have to be learned quickly and put into use expeditiously before the next wave of innovation and technology renders them obsolete.

9     I would therefore like to commend the Singapore Polytechnic for organising these IT workshops covering some 15 different areas of IT competencies. They serve as a good introduction to some of these special areas and complement the efforts of the Ministry and other training agencies. Indeed, such efforts are in line with the IT Masterplan's vision of involving the Institutes of Higher Learning as 'academic coaches' who form partnerships with schools to ensure a continuous flow of good ideas and practices in the use of IT. Judging from the turnout, I am sure that our schools and our teachers appreciate the effort and time taken to organise these workshops.

10   On this note, I would like to declare the Singapore Polytechnic IT Workshop for Teachers 2000 open.