On 13 February 2023, The HEAD Foundation Dialogues launched Teacher Preparation in Singapore: A Concise Critical History, with co-authors Dr Chia Yeow-Tong, Dr Jason Tan and Dr Alistair Chew with discussants Dr Kevin Blackburn and Prof S. Gopinathan.
Teacher preparation and education in Singapore started off being accidental, haphazard and non-institutional. The University of Singapore and Nanyang University used to do teacher training, but by the 1970s, the then Institute of Education, IE (now National Institute of Education, NIE) became the country’s sole teacher training institute.
As it grows, NIE has looked towards the internationalisation of teacher training as part of the growth of the Institute and sector.
The future of NIE as the sole teacher training institute in Singapore remains an interesting issue summed up in this quote from the book’s final chapter:
“Teacher training in Singapore went from informal to formal and from multiple ‘providers’ to a single institution responsible for pre-service teacher education (TTC, IE and then NIE). In the last two decades, the range of curricular offerings has diversified almost beyond the ability of teacher preparation systems to cope.”
Disclaimer: The views expressed by the speakers in this webinar are their own and do not represent the opinions of The HEAD Foundation.
