SPEECH BY RADM (NS) TEO CHEE HEAN,
MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND SECOND MINISTER FOR DEFENCE
AT THE SINGAPORE TEACHERS' UNION 54th ANNIVERSARY DINNER 2000
ON FRIDAY, 22 SEP 2000 AT 8 P.M. AT THE NEPTUNE THEATRE RESTAURANT

BUILDING A CARING, COMMITTED, MOTIVATED AND FORWARD LOOKING TEACHING FORCE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Good evening Mr Lawrence Sia,

President, Singapore Teachers' Union

Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen

1.       It gives me great pleasure to be here today to join you at the 54th anniversary celebrations of the Singapore Teachers' Union. I am particularly happy that a number of my predecessors, former ministers are here tonight, and ask that you recognise their presence and contributions to education in Singapore. The history of STU over the last five decades has been closely intertwined with the growth of modern Singapore. This is hardly surprising. The future of a nation depends very much on how the young have been prepared for it. In a world where, more than ever, our future depends on knowledge, education plays an even more crucial role.

Teachers are the Key

2.       We are fortunate that in the Singapore of today, we have the resources to invest in a good education for all our people.

3.       In terms of physical resources, our schools and polytechnics, ITE and universities, have buildings and facilities that are comparable if not better than those I have seen anywhere else in the world. Our teachers and students are provided with more access to computers and information technology than in most countries. Our students enjoy a wide range of co-curricular activities in sports and the arts.

4.      But all that is not sufficient. The most important thing of all is to have the right people, in sufficient numbers to teach. This is the critical area. The government is prepared to invest more resources into education, but this alone will not be sufficient to get us the caring, committed, motivated and forward looking teaching force that our children need.

Keeping the flame burning

5.       Building a quality teaching force for the 21st century therefore is our biggest challenge for the next 5 to 7 years. In the next 5 years, more than 3,500 teachers will retire. In anticipation of this, we have recruited more that 7,000 teachers over the last 3 years. Many of these new recruits are still in NIE or have recently joined schools after their NIE training.

6.       Our education service is therefore undergoing a major change. The profile of the service is changing rapidly. Just 4 years ago, half of our teachers were over 43 years of age. In 5 years' time, half of our teachers will be under the age of 33. Our younger teachers will have lots of energy, new ideas and innovative ways of doing things. But teaching is also about experience, convictions and values. These are what our older teachers have in abundance, and our younger teachers will need time and guidance to imbibe them.

Major Improvements Made

7.       In recent years, the Ministry has made major improvements to the education service. In 1996, we expanded the number of Senior Education Officer posts to include the Head of Department, Subject Head, Level Head and Senior Teacher posts, thus increasing advancement opportunities for teachers. Up to 30% of posts in schools are now SEO posts compared to the previous situation where only 2 posts out of an average 60 posts in the school, namely the Principal and Vice-Principal posts, were SEO posts.

8.      In January this year, we introduced new intermediate grades at the GEO and SEO levels to give teachers more promotional opportunities and faster first promotions. The outcome can be seen in the high numbers promoted this year. I am pleased to announce that another 539 Education Officers will be promoted next month, on 1st October. This will bring the total number of officers promoted this year to more than 5,300 or close to a quarter of the teaching service.

9.       More recently, in July this year, we revised salaries of teachers. What is significant in this revision is that good classroom teachers are now eligible for consideration for a performance bonus. This stronger link between pay and performance will be an incentive for better performance. It gives us another way, in addition to promotions, that we can use to reward those performing well.

10.    The Ministry has also introduced other schemes for the benefit of teachers. The part-load scheme, which is currently being piloted, has helped expand our pool of trained teachers. The scheme has attracted a number of those who had left service earlier to rejoin us. Just two days ago, NIE announced its efforts to enhance the professional development of teachers through continuing education. Teachers can accumulate academic units on courses done on a modular approach and work towards obtaining advanced diplomas, first degrees and Master's degrees.

11.     We will continue to look at innovative ways to improve terms and conditions of service so that teaching remains an attractive career option. This is especially so with the change in the teacher profile. To meet this challenge, the Ministry of Education is currently undertaking a fundamental review of the pay and career structure. We want to do a complete review so that the improvements we have made and any other new initiatives for teachers can be taken together in a holistic way. The review will help us better shape our service to meet both organisational needs and the personal aspirations of teachers. We want to ensure that all teachers - those more senior in service and the newer ones - are well taken care of, even as they take care of our students.

12.     The Ministry has engaged a consultant to help in the review. But this is not to be an externally devised and imposed solution. For this effort to be successful, our teachers must be involved so that their needs and aspirations are expressed and taken into account, and we can have the benefit of their many suggestions.

13.      In the coming months, we have asked the consultants to conduct focus group discussions with various groups of Education Officers to seek their views on how the teaching service of the future should be structured. The Ministry will also set up a website on the Intranet for teachers to post their suggestions and views. We don't promise to implement all your ideas, but we would like to know what you value most, so that we can tailor the package to best suit you. We are prepared to consider whatever is necessary to ensure that teaching remains the career of choice, and for our teachers to be motivated to want to stay on in teaching.

14.    The quality of our teachers and our education system has not gone unnoticed in other parts of the world. Recently, we read in the newspapers of UK schools coming to recruit in Singapore. We have also read reports of schools in the US using our Mathematics textbooks as they find these useful in putting across concepts clearly to their children.

15.     These reports reflect the high regard others have for our teachers and our education system. The strong education system we have today did not happen overnight. So many teachers have worked hard and gone through many changes in education in the last 30 to 40 years. They have brought us to where we are today. I would like to take this opportunity to salute our many experienced and dedicated teachers who have devoted so much of their lives to teaching, and who have educated generations of Singaporeans.

16.    The Ministry will continue to rely on these dedicated and experienced teachers as a pillar of strength to further propel our education system into the 21st century. With their wisdom and experience, they can bring a longer term and well-rounded perspective to the initiatives and changes we are making to the education system today. They can see how it was only through a steady process of evolutionary, and occasionally revolutionary change, in our education system over the past 5 decades, that our education system has improved so much, and our people have benefited so much. They will also appreciate why changes are always needed, so that our people can stay ahead of their times. The review of the Education Service will also look into how we can continue to recognise and motivate these teachers who are more senior in service.

17.     Any founder who has built a company from scratch and made it a success would want to ensure that there are capable people whom the company can rely on to carry on the work, so that the company continues to thrive and grows from strength to strength.

18.     Our experienced teachers are the founders and shareholders of MOE Inc (or MOE.gov), and they have a crucial role to play in nurturing the younger teachers. They can pass on their experience, guide and encourage them; and fire in our younger teachers that same passion and conviction, that drives them to do their best for their students. By developing a new generation of teachers, our more experienced teachers are building a lasting legacy for the education system, and for themselves.

Conclusion

19.     Education is timeless and lifelong. Whether it is the new economy or the old economy, we will need a capable teaching force who will pass on the right values, attitudes, instincts, outlook and skills to the young. The Teaching Service is only as good and reputable as you, each one of you, makes it.

20.    STU can play an important role in partnership with the Ministry to ensure that we continue to have a strong education system that serves the needs of our people and our country.

21.    With its membership of 13,300 teachers, STU is in a good position to enhance the public standing and image of teachers and further build up professional expertise amongst its members. The Ministry and STU should continue to work together to ensure that our education system and teachers continue to be forward-looking and responsive to the changing needs of society.

22.    Henry Ford once said that "coming together is the beginning, staying together is progress and working together is success". STU and the Ministry have been together since the beginning and have stayed together all these years. The coming years will see the education system and the education service undergo a major transformation. I believe that the Ministry, the STU, and our teachers, all share the same objective: to build the best possible education system by having the best possible teaching service. I look forward to continuing to work together with you to achieve this objective. I am confident that we can build a teaching service that will truly be one of the best in the world.

23.    Thank you.