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SINGAPORE: More are turning to teaching as a career. As of June, the Ministry of Education said it has already surpassed its target of recruiting 3,000 teachers for the whole of this year.
As of June, the Education Ministry said it has already surpassed its annual target of recruiting 3,000 teachers and 680 allied educators for this year.
While the ministry has stepped up hiring, Education Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Monday that it also continues to be rigorous in its selection.
A spokesman for the ministry told Channel NewsAsia that a significant proportion of shortlisted candidates are given a teaching internship for schools to assess their aptitude and interest to teach.
In addition, every short-listed candidate is interviewed by a panel, which is led by an experienced educator, usually a principal.
Teaching is a career for those who have the passion, aptitude and commitment. 1,893 newly-qualified teachers received their diplomas this year.
Siti Nur Aishah, winner, Economic Development Board Book Prize, said: "You have to be an example. Firstly, you have to come up with interesting lessons that will make them (the students) come to school to learn, make them learn for the sake of learning and not just for grades."
Benjamin Lim, winner, the NIE Award, said: "I'm teaching in the music elective school and the kind of intellectual challenge that it imposes on me all the time is very stimulating. I am reading up constantly for my lessons and I intend to do my postgraduate studies."
Besides recruiting good teachers, the Education Minister said the ministry also needs to continually develop its existing pool of educators so they keep abreast of the latest in education practices.
Dr Ng said: "As the world around us becomes increasingly complex, competitive and inter-connected, our education system must also continue to evolve in response to these transformations.
"It is in this spirit that the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) committee has recommended a number of changes to the primary education system. These changes seek to build on the strong foundations of the system by preparing our young to excel in the future."
These include moving towards single-session primary schools and recruiting only graduates.
The Education Minister reminded the teachers that Monday’s National Institute of Education's Teachers' Investiture ceremony was not the end of their learning process.
He encouraged them to continue with life-long learning and said the ministry will support them with various programmes in this area.
So the ministry has also offered post-graduate scholarships to 51 education officers to pursue Masters degrees and PhDs here and abroad. - CNA/vm
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