Teaching Staff

The Education Service is committed to building up teachers as a quality professional force, exemplary in conduct and commitment, up-to-date in skills and knowledge. Good leadership and sound people-oriented management will help to develop a cohesive, committed and competent teaching service. Teachers must keep up with professional developments in their fields, and judiciously apply new educational theories and practices to the classroom. They need drive and conviction to translate education policies into practical and effective programmes to meet the learning needs of their pupils. Teachers are mentors and role models to their pupils. They influence young minds and inculcate sound social and moral values through word and deed, within and outside the classroom. They must impart to pupils learning skills, thinking skills and life skills to cope with the future; an attitude of continuous learning and improvement; and a sense of commitment and belonging to Singapore.   

The National Institute of Education (NIE) is the sole teacher training institute in Singapore and a part of the Nanyang Technological University. The mission of the NIE is to be a world-class university institute renowned for its excellence in teacher education and educational research.

The NIE is organized on a the basis of a programme-driven matrix system with twelve academic groups, three IT clusters and selected research centres. There are about 360 academic staff members: 70% are PhD holders, 25% Master's degree holders and 5% Bachelor's degree holders or holders of professional qualifications. Some 19% of staff are expatriates. Enrolment at NIE as of August 2002 was 10,578 with 5,729 full-time equivalent students (74% women and 26% men; 69.5% Chinese, 17.7% Malay, 7.9% Indian, and 4.9% others). The NIE offers the following programmes: 

• The BA/BSc (Education) degree is a four-year (primary school emphasis) programme requiring A-level entry.
• The Diploma in Education is a two-year programme covering two academic subjects and pedagogy. Students can enter either the primary or the secondary programmes. Students can enter this programme with A-levels or Polytechnic Diplomas.
• The Diploma in Physical Education (PE) is also a two-year programme. Students study PE plus one academic subject and can teach in either the primary on secondary school on graduation.
• The Diploma in Home Economics is a two-year programme. Students study home economics and pedagogy subjects. Entry requirements include a Polytechnic Diploma. Students teach in the secondary schools on graduation.
• The Diploma in Art and Music requires students to cover subjects in Art/Music and pedagogy. It is a 2-year programme and accepts students from LaSalle School for the Arts and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Students teach in the secondary schools on graduation.
• The BA (Education) in Malay language and Malay literature with pedagogy is a four-year programme. It qualifies students to teach in the secondary school. A-levels and Polytechnic holders are eligible for entry.                       

The NIE also offers the MA, MA (PE), MSc, MSc (PE) as well as the PhD degree by research. Similarly, the NIE offers course work and dissertation Master's degrees on a part-time basis.

A wide range of in-service courses are offered. Teachers can attend these courses to broaden their knowledge base and learn/share ways of making teaching and learning more effective. There are also milestone courses to equip officers for leadership roles. Officers earmarked to be Heads of Department enrol for the Diploma in Departmental Management (DDM) programme at NIE to prepare them for their managerial roles. Officers who have the potential to be school leaders attend the Leaders in Education programme at NIE.

Non-graduate teachers who wish to pursue a degree programme can apply for no-pay study leave to pursue full-time degree programme. In addition, candidates can apply for interest-free study loans and MOE course sponsorships. Post-graduate studies, relevant to the Education Service, are available to officers with a first degree, once they have gained some teaching experience and have consistent good performance. These studies are pursued by coursework or research at the Master's degree level. These may be undertaken on a full-time or part-time basis, either on scholarship or study-leave. The aim is to provide good teachers with post-graduate training in specialized areas relevant to the Service.