Singapore’s national teacher training institute first started in 1950 as the Teachers’ Training College, which conducted certificate courses in education for non-graduates.On 1 April 1973, the Institute of Education (IE) was established and took over the role of the Teachers’ Training College.[1]
Then Minister for Education Lee Chiaw Meng explained that the IE had three main functions: to provide pedagogical training for candidates before they joined the teaching service; conduct courses for existing teachers to enhance and enrich their knowledge as well as increase their promotion opportunities; and undertake pedagogical and educational research.[2]
The IE offered two programmes for trainee teachers: a two-year full-time Certificate in Education for non-graduates and a one-year full-time Diploma in Education for graduates.[3]
To address the shortage of qualified teachers at the time, the IE also launched a part-time teaching cadetship scheme, which offered a three-year Certificate in Education for non-graduates and an 18-month Diploma in Education for graduates. Trainees on this scheme were posted to schools on a full-time basis and paid a salary, but had to juggle both teaching and studying.[4]
The cadetship scheme for graduate students, in particular, was billed as a scheme for the cream of the crop. The Public Service Commission selected the best of successful applicants to the IE for admission to the scheme.[5]
In 1979, the cadetship scheme was replaced by a teacher-in-training scheme, as part of the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) efforts to improve the overall benefits of the education service. Under the new scheme, trainees were considered to be civil servants and received a monthly salary as well as various allowances and benefits, instead of a monthly all-in allowance under the cadetship scheme.[6]
In 1984, the MOE set up the College of Physical Education (CPE) as an autonomous college of the IE to focus on all aspects of physical education.[7] Graduates of the two-year Diploma in Physical Education were then qualified to teach physical education in secondary schools and junior colleges.[8]
In 1989, following a review of higher education and teacher education in Singapore, the government decided to merge the IE and CPE to form the National Institute of Education (NIE), an institute under the Nanyang Technological University.[9] The NIE was established on 1 July 1991.[10]
References
1. National Institute of Education. [n.d.]. History of teacher education and NIE's evolution and progress. Retrieved August 4, 2016, from NIE website: http://www.nie.edu.sg/about-us/corporate-information
2. Singapore. Parliament. Parliamentary debates: Official report. (1973, March 19). Budget, Ministry of Education. (Vol. 32, col. 1075). Singapore: Government Printer. Call no.: RCLOS 328.5957 SIN
3. National Institute of Education, [n.d.].
4. Shen, S. Y. (1972, November 26). Three-year course for non-grad teachers at institute. The Straits Times, p. 16. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
5. Lee, S. S. (1973, March 16). Cadetship training scheme for graduates. The Straits Times, p. 10. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
6. Better deal for trainee teachers. (1978, December 29). The Straits Times, p. 32. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
7. New PE college to take in students in July. (1984, March 3). The Straits Times, p. 14. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
8. Tan, J. (1984, July 3). Students at PE college start with workout. The Straits Times, p. 13. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
9. Singapore. Parliament. Parliamentary debates: Official report. (1996, October 10). Second Reading of the Institute of Education (Repeal) Bill. (Vol. 66, cols. 648–649). Singapore: Government Printer. Call no.: RCLOS 328.5957 SIN
10. Singapore. Parliament. Parliamentary debates: Official report. (1992, November 16). Bachelor of Arts/Science degree with diploma in education course (Reduction to 3-year specialist course). (Vol. 60, col. 313). Singapore: Government Printer. Call no.: RCLOS 328.5957 SIN; Travelling the road to NTU: Down memory lane. (1991, July 1). The Straits Times, p. 11. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
The information in this article is valid as at 2016 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.