1 A very good morning,
2 First and foremost – Happy New Year to all!
3 Thank you for making the time and effort to join us this morning to celebrate the Professional Chapter turning two years old! It seemed just yesterday when the chapter celebrated its first anniversary at this exact same venue in January last year.
4 The Professional Chapter for Early Childhood Educators was the first profession-based community set up by the Labour Movement and spearheaded by the Education Services Union or ESU. Since its formation in December 2009, more than 9,500 early childhood professionals have joined the Professional Chapter; this represents over 70% of the local early childhood educators’ community. The Chapter will continue to grow as the early childhood sector in Singapore is set for rapid expansion in the next few years.
5 There are now some 1,400 pre-school centres, comprising 900+ child care centres and 500 kindergartens. More parents recognise the importance of pre-school education in supporting the early years’ development of their children. There will be increased demand for places with quality pre-school education providers; as such, we can expect even more pre-school centres to be opened.
6 To address the sector’s challenges and support its growth, the Professional Chapter and ESU worked with MCYS, WDA, E2i and employers etc. in various multi-stakeholder, multi-effort and multi-pronged approaches to energise the sector and promote the attractiveness of the sector and the early childhood profession in Singapore.
7 These include high-key initiatives to recognise the contributions of the sector such as a dedicated appreciation day for 300+ educators organised in September annually by ESU since 2007 and a Tea Reception hosted by former President, S.R. Nathan, for 70 outstanding educators in September 2010.
8 We also made concerted efforts to improve the sector’s image since 2009. A notable partnership effort led by the Professional Chapter and involving the ministries, agencies, employers and educators, was the Bright Beginnings Conference for Good Employment Practices in Pre-school sector in early 2010, which saw 40% of pre-school employers pledge towards adoption of good employment practices in centres. Another notable effort was the Good Employers’ Toolkit launched in October 2011 by MCYS and ESU, with inputs from WDA on ECCE, HR and Leadership & People Management WSQ training. The Toolkit offers a handy one-stop resource guide for employers on matters relating to manpower and human resource in an early childhood setting. We hope the Toolkit will empower employers to improve their employment practices and enhance the sector’s image as an employer of choice.
9 To complement the Toolkit, MCYS and ESU have introduced an accompanying workshop on employment laws’ do’s and don’ts which were covered in the Toolkit. We have engaged Mr Chia Boon Cher, a veteran HR consultant, to facilitate the pilot workshop for close to 80 operators and centre management staffs that will be held this afternoon. Employers will get the opportunity to engage in discussion with Mr Chia and fellow employers on common HR and employment challenges which they encounter on the ground. We will continue these series of workshops so that more operators can benefit.
10 Concurrent efforts were also made to boost the internal HR capabilities, competencies and professional standards of child care centres. WDA launched a WSQ Mentoring Programme in 2011 as part of these efforts. This programme will boost the preschool operators’ mentoring capabilities and enhance HR processes by introducing a support system for newer teachers to be mentored by more experienced colleagues. Mentors will also learn how to be a source of social and emotional support to help the new entrants ease into, and develop, their careers as early childhood professionals.
11 WDA also increased the number of scholarship places offered under its Skills Training for Excellence Programme (STEP). The enhanced ECCE-STEP scholarship offerings will support a wider suite of degree programmes for early childhood educators. In addition to UniSIM’s Bachelor of Early Childhood Education with Management, WDA has extended the scholarships to UniSIM’s new Bachelor of Early Childhood and Chinese Language in Education, the Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education (Focus in Literacy) offered by SEED Institute in partnership with Wheelock College and the Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Early Childhood Care and Education offered by KLC School of Education in partnership with the University of Warwick. Local in-service educators who wish to deepen their expertise in this field now have access to 16 new scholarship places.
12 As we begin a new year, we wish all members an enjoyable year of learning and fruitful returns. Union members who take up approved upgrading courses on their own can now get up to $500 per year under the Union Training Assistance Programme (UTAP) to defray their learning costs. This is an increase from the annual cap of $250 for previous years.
13 As a Labour Movement, we hope this encourages more union members to go for skills upgrading as we are committed towards the continual education of our members. The Professional Chapter and ESU, too, are as committed towards the professional development of early childhood educators. Justine Ho and Islinda Idris, winners of the MCYS Outstanding Child Care Educator Award 2010 and MCYS Outstanding Infant-Educarer Award 2011 respectively, and union members, were sponsored by the Professional Chapter on a learning journey to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Annual Conference in U.S.A in 2011. The 4-days conference gave both the chance to meet up with many other foreign delegates and cross-learn best practices. An exhibition to showcase their experiences is staged at Jamboree 2012 at Level 1 foyer. You can visit the exhibition during the breaks to view their trip experiences.
14 We have also prepared an industrial relations exhibition that addresses the most common employment issues raised by early childhood educators. The exhibition covers the topics of contractual obligations of an employee, salary payment and termination of service. Do visit the exhibition to learn more about your employment rights and the common pitfalls to avoid. You are also invited to pen down and post your thoughts on the post-its provided at the exhibition.
15 Singapore’s early childhood education landscape is relatively young compared to those of other developed countries and is continually evolving and innovating. There is a limitless blue sky of opportunities available to our early childhood educators. I urge you to make full use of the professional development resources and platforms offered under the professional chapter and take charge of your personal development. ESU and the Professional Chapter will be beside you in your lifelong learning journey.
16 It is now my pleasure to welcome our Guest-of-Honour, Mdm Halimah Yacob. Madam Halimah, who is our former NTUC Deputy Secretary-General, was committed towards championing for better opportunities for women at all levels and ensuring a strong voice for women in the workforce throughout her long career in NTUC. This includes the welfare of pre-school teachers. Without further ado, let us warmly welcome to the front, Minister of State, MCYS, Mdm Halimah Yacob!
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