Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics - IEA

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TEACHER PAY AND STUDENT MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT
Singapore 21
Composition of the teacher labor force
The 2005 education statistics documented 26,382 teachers in Singaporean government
schools (Ministry of Education, 2008). This figure constituted a 27% increase in the
number of teachers over the previous 10 years, and the Ministry of Education plans
to have 30,000 teachers in place by 2010, an increase of about 3,000. According to data
provided by the Ministry of Education, the rate at which teachers resign from the service
has been steady at between two to three percent per year; the number of teachers who
enter the profession each year averages 2,300 teachers.
At the primary school level, approximately 83% of the teaching force is female. The
percentage at the secondary level is about 65%. There are approximately 400 expatriate
teachers in Singapore, but they make up less than one percent of the education service.
About 23% of the total teaching population is made up of mid-career individuals.
The Singapore Government recently initiated a number of programs designed to
enhance teachers’ professional and personal development and their remuneration
packages. Two such packages are GROW (Growth, Recognition, Opportunities,
Wellbeing) and the CONNECT plan (CONtiNuity, Experience, and Commitment in
Teaching). By offering teachers professional and financial incentives, the government
hopes to make teaching an attractive profession for well-qualified individuals. The
MOE also offers a variety of awards and scholarships to attract (“green harvest”) top
pre-university students into teaching. These incentives include sponsoring prospective
teachers to study in top universities locally and overseas.
Teacher education
Teacher education in Singapore is provided by the National Institute of Education,
which specializes in teaching pedagogy/curriculum proficiency and is an autonomous
institute of Nanyang Technological University. Entry requirements for the Diploma
of Education (two years) or Bachelor’s programs (four years) are good results for the
General Certificate of Education (GCE) “A” level or possession of a polytechnic diploma.
A significant entry qualification not required in many other countries is that all trainee
teachers must pass mathematics at the GCE “O” level. 22
The Bachelor in Education (arts/sciences) program prepares primary school teachers to
teach two or three subjects and secondary school teachers to teach one major and one
minor subject. The program includes courses in education studies, curriculum studies,
subject knowledge, academic studies, and a practicum component.
21 Unless stated otherwise, information for this section was drawn from these websites:
http://www.nie.edu.sg/itt_hb/web/2006/gi06/untrain.html
http://www.nie.edu.sg/itt_hb/web/2006/gi06/trained.html
http://www.moe.gov.sg/teach/
http://www.moe.gov.sg/teach/AdmissionCriteria.htm
http://www.stu.org.sg.
22 In Singapore, primary education covers a period of six years of compulsory education, culminating with the
Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). The first four years constitute the foundation stage; the next two
are known as the orientation stage. The overall aim is to give students a solid background in English, mathematics,
and their mother tongue. Secondary education encompasses a four- to five-year period during which students are
placed in different tracks based on their performance in the PSLE. Successful completion of this stage leads to
the General Certificate of Education “O” level. The General Certificate of Education “A” level is awarded after the
O-level stage and after completion of a two-year course at a junior college or a three-year course at a centralized
institute.