Speeches
Speech by Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Education, and Second Minister for Defence, at the 11th Appointment Ceremony for Principals on Tuesday, 30 December 2008 at 9.30am, Shangri-La Hotel, Island Ballroom
Rear-Admiral Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister of State
Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Parliamentary Secretary
Ms Yeoh Chee Yan, Second Permanent Secretary
Miss Seah Jiak Choo, Director-General of Education
Miss Ho Peng, Director-General of Education, Designate
Distinguished guests,
Principals,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to share this special occasion with you today. Let me offer my personal congratulations to the 50 Principals who are being appointed today. This is an important and happy annual occasion for the MOE family. It allows us the opportunity to congratulate new Principals individually, but more importantly, through this ceremony, we collectively signal the central role Principals play in our education service. We affirm today the privilege, the stewardship, the responsibility and the influence that Principals have in providing quality education to prepare young Singaporeans for the future.
Principals - Central Role
Principals play a pivotal role in our ability to achieve our desired outcomes of education. Whenever there are new ideas or policies to be implemented, we always ask for and take into account their professional advice, because education is all about tending and nurturing, and the Principal is the chief gardener. Upon our Principals rests the responsibility of the daily toil and cultivation to help our students grow to their full potential. The Principal is the one on the ground, who sizes up the conditions and makes key decisions that will decide if plans, even the best laid ones, come to fruition or nought. Each time I go on school visits, I am struck by how unique each school is, and how it bears the distinctive imprint of its Principal. The Principal sets the tone and brings out different flavours even from students with similar qualities. This is why MOE places great emphasis on resourcing schools and its Principals to provide them with the tools to fulfil their responsibilities.
Of the 50 Principals, 27 will be newly appointed. Today’s ceremony marks a major milestone in your career as you take the pinnacle position of being in charge of your school. It represents an opportunity to put into practice what you have been groomed for, to give shape to your ideas and the lives of our young. Don’t be afraid to push new ideas. Yet, at the same time, avail yourself to the wisdom and mentorship of more experienced Principals and Cluster Superintendents.
Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on MOE
This year’s Principals’ Appointment Ceremony is held amidst a global financial crisis that has spared no country or sector. The effects are on-going and the impact on the real economy, on businesses, jobs and families in Singapore will be felt more acutely in the coming year, at the very least. What does it mean for MOE - our schools, ITE, Polytechnics and Universities? How should we respond to this crisis? Just as we have with other national challenges in our history, I am confident that we will emerge from this crisis intact. Over the years, we have been fiscally prudent, always spending within our means. We have made investments wisely in areas that have enhanced our global competitiveness - such as improving our infrastructure and growing our human capital through education and upgrading. We have made provisions for our ageing population through changes in our CPF system and medi-schemes. We have good governance and as a result we have built up strong reserves. Our people are united and ties have not been severed by racial strife or economic uncertainties.
We will emerge intact and even stronger if we make the right decisions. Because even in these uncertain times, opportunities abound. For MOE, we should focus on three areas. One, spend prudently. Two, invest and build strategically. Three, enhance financial help schemes. Let me touch on each briefly.
Spending Prudently
We should find ways to trim unnecessary costs. I encourage all heads of institutions and departments within MOE to act prudently, to carefully spend to stretch the educational dollars provided. Many, including individual schools are doing their part. It is more than the amounts saved. We want to send the correct message to students, that there are responsible acts that each can personally take in response to this crisis.
At Eunos Primary School, for instance, the Art Department found novel ways to trim down its annual budget for art materials. The art teachers taught their pupils how to make use of recyclable materials such as drink and tin cans to make tin-robots and rocket models.
At Fuchun Secondary School, instead of buying commercial fertilisers, they made their own. Crushed and powdered egg shells, rich in calcium, were used to fertilise the herbs and flowering plants in the herb garden in the school. It also provided plants a protective barrier from snail attacks.
Since 2006, the support staff at Chong Boon Secondary School have been growing and maintaining their own potted plants for use at events such as the school’s Speech Day.
MOE HQ is also doing its part through reviewing its processes. One example is the regular reviews that MOE conducts during the construction of a school building. This process ensures that we sift out the frills and optimise building provisions like doorways, exits and staircases while complying with building regulations. In our implementation of the Indoor Sports Hall building programme, we have (where possible) consolidated these projects into contract bundles of six, or timed the projects to coincide with other building programmes like PRIME - the Programme for Rebuilding and Improving Existing schools - to reap the benefits of economies of scale.
Strategic Investment in Education
We need to be prudent always, and especially in these times. But it also makes sense for MOE, schools and Institutes of Higher Learning to strategically invest to keep up our capacity building efforts and programmes. In these difficult times, where we can afford it, what we spend may actually achieve more. This is the stance that MOE will adopt for the coming year. In fact, we are looking at how to step up certain programmes, where it makes financial sense to do so. These efforts are across all levels - in schools, ITE, polytechnics and the Universities.
Enhancing Infrastructure
For schools, we will invest in new infrastructure. We will accelerate the roll-out of Indoor Sports Halls in our schools to benefit more cohorts of students earlier. MOE is also exploring proposals to build Centres of Excellence - to develop new infrastructure and centralised facilities - in areas such as the arts, music and sports development for our students.
Stepping up Recruitment of Teachers and Education Professionals
In this downturn, we will step up recruitment, significantly beyond the current annual recruitment target of 2,200 teachers. This is an opportune time for MOE to hire. For example, at our latest recruitment drive, held three weeks ago at Raffles Place, we received strong interest from about 1,200 applicants over 4 days. Many were mid-career professionals who can bring different perspectives and experiences to add to our teaching force.
In the coming year, we will therefore step up efforts to recruit additional teachers from amongst fresh graduates and mid-career professionals. We will also bring forward recruitment targets for teaching support staff in the Allied Educators Scheme. We had earlier planned to increase the pool of Allied Educators by four-folds from the current 600 to 2,800 by the end of 2015. In view of market opportunities, we will now plan to recruit ahead of schedule.
Our polytechnics have plans to also intensify their recruitment efforts to meet the growing enrolment. As before, they will hire fresh graduates to become polytechnic lecturers, but in this downturn, another potential source would be qualified individuals with industry experience. In addition, MOE is undertaking a review, to see where we can take advantage of the high standards already achieved by polytechnic graduates to expand opportunities for upgrading. In an uncertain job market, some may choose the lull period to further their education.
The University Presidents have told me that this crisis also offers opportunities not available before. They will therefore step up recruitment from both Singapore and overseas, to improve faculty-student ratio, and to attract top faculty here. This will further improve the high quality of education being offered to our students, and allow us to build long term capabilities in the university sector.
Facilitating Mid-Career Entrants
Some mid-career professionals may face retrenchment next year. For those with an aptitude and interest to teach, MOE will put in place new measures to help them join the teaching service. In the kindergarten sector, we will introduce an accelerated training programme that will help these mid-career professionals obtain the necessary qualifications quicker, but without compromising quality. Aimed at preparing them to be kindergarten teachers, this conversion programme will focus on understanding how children learn and equipping them with the competencies to teach young children effectively. We are also considering providing sponsorship for their training fees. We expect to bring in an additional few hundred mid-career professionals into the kindergarten sector through this diploma programme. This programme will also be offered to fresh graduates interested in joining the kindergarten sector.
In addition, there are a variety of career options available in schools and MOE HQ for mid-career entrants, such as Vice-Principal (Administration) and education policy analysts.
In summary, there are unique opportunities for MOE, schools and our Institutes of Higher Learning to take advantage of, which will put us in an even better position, when the economy recovers. To build new capacity, we plan to hire significantly above previous levels. MOE and our schools will recruit to fill more than 3,500 jobs in 2009. Over and above this, our Institutes of Higher Learning and kindergarten sector project to fill another 4,000 jobs. All in all, an estimated 7,500 teaching and teaching-support jobs will be available next year. More details will be provided during next year’s Budget and the Committee of Supply Debates.
Enhancing Financial Assistance Schemes
I am aware that some families may be caught out when breadwinners lose their jobs. Our philosophy has always been that no Singaporean student should be denied a sound education from lack of means. Our current Financial Assistance Schemes have been responsive to the needs of low income earners. In this economic downturn, we want to also help those, including professionals who are facing temporary unemployment for a few months.
MOE will thus enhance its financial assistance schemes to provide more help to needy students during the current economic downturn. Some students who had previously worked part-time to support themselves may find less job opportunities available; in addition, their parents may themselves be in between jobs. We will therefore increase the amount of financial assistance and also exercise greater flexibility in giving help to students who may fall into temporary financial difficulties. This will include students from families whose parents are working professionals. We will extend grants to schools and Institutes of Higher Learning to provide ad-hoc assistance to deserving cases that do not meet the eligibility criteria under normal circumstances. Details are being worked out and will be announced at the Committee of Supply Debate.
In short, while we must provide help to overcome short term difficulties, we must not allow this crisis, even a global one, to distract us from preparing for the future. Indeed, we can benefit from it. There will also be teachable moments that we can use to impart important lessons to students - about thrift, hope, confidence, resilience, entrepreneurialism and perseverance.
Forward Looking
This global financial crisis has certainly taught us that change is constant and occurs when you least expect it. Scan the newspapers just before September this year, barely three months ago, and it would have been a different World. Few, if any, could have predicted the scale of the financial crisis or the possibility of a terror attack as has occurred in Mumbai a month ago. The pace of change has quickened with globalisation. A child who will begin Primary One in a few days’ time in 2009 will leave our school system around 2020. As Principals, you have to ask, “How do we best prepare that child for his future?”
Dr James Canton, a renowned futurist and social scientist from the Institute for Global Futures predicts that by 2015, innovation industries will make up more than one third of the world’s GDP.
Jobs in the future will require even more advanced skills, higher education and more sophisticated high-tech training, and will transcend geographical boundaries. We should retain our rigour in maths and science, because those are the basic building blocks for higher skills that will retain their value in the future. Singapore continues to lead in these areas, as the recent TIMSS results indicate. But, we also have to create dispositions in our students to be innovative and independent, life-long learners, adaptable to changing milieus and circumstances. These traits will stand them in good stead and build their confidence to confront an unknown future.
Principals as Curriculum and Instructional Leaders
Schools therefore must nurture these skills and traits in our young. As we enhance the quality of our teachers and Principals, we will also create greater capabilities to design student-centric curriculum and instruction modules to achieve these goals. Not only must our Principals be good CEOs, they must also be instructional leaders, driving a culture of professional excellence. This is already happening. In many of our TLLM Prototype and Ignite schools, there is a buzz of activity, and a flourish of school-based curriculum innovations.
At Jurong Secondary School , Miss Tham Yoke Chun, the Principal introduced Problem-Based Authentic Learning that engages students in hands-on, real-life learning experiences. Secondary One Science students were given a problem centred on the new Jurong Lake Park. They worked with the Jurong Town Corporation to look into the residents’ concerns about the development of the Park and the possible effects of extensive park use on the flora and fauna. In the process, students learnt about separation techniques and qualitative analysis when they examined the water quality of the lake; they investigated the impact of human activities on the ecology; they studied the design of the existing park shelters and applied the concepts of heat transfer to propose improvements to them. This learning activity sharpened their interpersonal skills and promoted research, inquiry, collaboration and problem solving.
Mrs Grace Chua, the Principal of Deyi Secondary School, started SQMD or ‘Socratic Questioning and Moral Dilemmas’ in the school’s Values Education programme. SQMD helps her students think critically, reason analytically and make choices that are grounded in ethics and positive values. Students employ six different question types to probe assumptions, draw evidence and cite reasons; they learn to seek clarification; develop different viewpoints and perspectives; and are guided to extrapolate possible implications and consequences before making a moral judgement. SQMD will help prepare her students to manage the many dilemmas and choices that they will have to make in their future work and daily life.
As we provide even more autonomy and resources to schools in the next few years, I am confident that more Principals will create unique programmes that will add value to their students.
Developing Teachers
To help Principals, MOE will continue to focus on upgrading teacher quality and development. Today slightly more than half of our teachers are aged 35 and below. We are careful to select those with a passion and commitment to be good teachers. At the same time, content mastery requires teachers today to have higher qualifications to keep up with the general population. We recruit teachers on that basis.
As Principals, you will have to take into account the changing profile of your teachers. In 2000, only slightly more than half (55.4%) of our teachers were graduates. Today our graduate teachers make up 78% of our teaching force. Teachers with Master’s degrees and PhDs have also doubled in the last 10 years (from 4 to 8%). Newly recruited teachers are better educated, tech-savvy, and seek new challenges. They bring with them higher expectations and aspirations at the workplace. They are more vocal and prefer a more consultative approach. They come from a generation which is more peer-oriented and places greater premium on workplace culture. They prefer a flatter organisational structure, where groups work closely on school projects and support each other along the way.
As leaders, you will have to build a positive school climate that can harness the different strengths and qualities of your staff. Communication built on mutual respect and openness is the key. You should share your own educational philosophy and beliefs with your staff and be open to hear theirs.
Involve your teachers in shaping school goals and policies; give them space to take the initiative and responsibility for improvement in the various aspects of school matters. Give them many opportunities to take on challenging assignments and diverse experiences to grow their capacity and leadership potential. Involvement creates empowerment, ownership and pride, and will motivate them to strive for excellence. This way, you help groom the next generation of leaders in schools.
In Compassvale Primary School, such positive support from its school leaders, energised teachers to take the lead. A theatrette with a system called, R2L - ‘Record, Replay to Learn’ was built. Teachers worked in teams to create lessons for their pupils using R2L. The success of these lessons encouraged teachers to not only prepare more lessons, but enabled them to improve on their own pedagogy. Another group of teachers saw the potential in the R2L System in reaching out to parents. They came up with an innovative learning package, the ‘Enhanced Social Emotional Learning At Home’ for parents’ use at home, to effectively involve them in their children’s social and emotional learning.
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
As a profession, the teacher community must also play its part to grow and develop teachers as self directed learners. MOE will support our schools to establish themselves as Professional Learning Communities - or PLCs for short. Some enablers of PLCs already exist in schools, such as the School Staff Developer position, Time-Tabled Time and the 100 hours professional development.
MOE will build on what schools already have to develop themselves as PLCs. Additional support will be provided such as a comprehensive PLC toolkit, as well as training and sharing platforms. MOE will first pilot these additional support structures to selected schools in 2009 as the next step forward. The experiences from the pilot schools will then be shared with the rest of the schools. By 2010, we envision all schools to have the capacity to establish themselves as vibrant PLCs. Essential to the success of PLCs are the Principals who lead their teachers in building a learning culture in their schools.
Student - Our Focus
Even as we forge ahead with new school-wide experiments, curricular innovations, and exciting programmes, and develop our teachers at the same time; we must not lose sight of the raison d’être of these efforts - our students.
Mdm Choy Wai Yin, of Outram Secondary School is an example of a Principal who has remembered this central motivation. She and a colleague started the South 4 Cluster’s ‘Time-Out Programme - Centre for Supervised Learning’, where at risk students with poor self-esteem and who lack family support, from all five secondary schools of the Cluster are supported. Wai Yin actively enlisted the support of self-help groups, voluntary organisations and parent volunteers to work together to help her students. This programme has made an impact - attrition rates from these students have dropped, and it has inspired her staff to nurture every child in their school.
A Short Tribute to Retiring Principals
We would not have come so far without the stewardship of dedicated school leaders. This has been our great strength - inspiring Principals who have led our schools through the years. I would like to recognise the contributions of the 21 Principals who are retiring today.
Our retiring Principals have set good examples of leaders who are anchored in values and purpose. Miss Cheng Lian Chee, who will be retiring after 33 years of service, and after 8 years as Principal of Junyuan Primary School, stands out as a leader driven by the belief that her students must have sound values and good character. She has inspired in her staff and pupils the belief that “everyone is special, valuable and important”, and that while not every child can be first in academic achievement, all can be first in character.
Miss Chong Hoi Neng, another retiring Principal who has served 42 years in education, is a good example of a leader who inspires a shared vision in her people. Within a short span of 4 years at Pei Hwa Secondary School, Hoi Neng steered the school towards its shared vision to be the ‘PRIDE of the Community’ through its many community programmes. Of note is the creation of the Jalan Kayu Heritage Trail where the student leaders are trained as guides for the Trail. She has inculcated in her students a sense of loyalty and belonging to the community.
There are many other examples of inspiring school leadership. While I am unable to list all your many contributions to the education service, I am sure that your impact on your schools and students will continue for a very long time to come.
A Short Tribute to DGE
This is also Miss Seah Jiak Choo’s last Principals’ Appointment Ceremony in the capacity of Director-General of Education. There will be a formal occasion for us to recount and recognise her sterling service and contributions. But it would be remiss of me, not to thank her today on all our behalves for her excellent leadership that has helped steer our education system to what it is today - respected and renowned.
Concluding Remarks
I began this ceremony by reminding us all that Principals are key to achieve our desired outcomes of education. Shoulder then this responsibility with pride and diligence, knowing that you wield enormous influence on our young and the future of Singapore.