The 12,000-members strong Singapore Teachers’ Union (STU) has a new President. He was elected during the recent STU National Delegates Conference on 22 July 2017.
Nigel Tan, 35, assumes the position at a time when the teaching profession is addressing challenges of preparing educators for the schools of the future and retaining them in service. He is a head of department in De La Salle School.
NTUC This Week: Tell us how it feels being a young president of a union which takes care of an important sector in Singapore?
Nigel Tan: I joined STU in 2007 and my involvement in activities like the Beginning Teachers’ Forum and the NTUC Education Cluster has allowed me to gain greater insights and perspectives of the union’s role in the teaching profession. There will be many challenges ahead of me and the learning curve is steep but I am assured by the support I have from fellow unionists to tackle them. I would want to focus a lot on ensuring that the well-being of our educators is taken care of so that they are able to focus on their teaching duties.
Q: What are some challenges facing STU?
A: STU is concerned with the disruptions which require teachers to be more adaptable to using various teaching methods to engage students in their learning. Teachers will also need to continuously develop themselves to be future-ready before they can prepare students to be ready for future challenges. Teachers also face the arduous challenge of meeting multi-faceted demands from stakeholders like parents and colleagues. This is where teacher wellness plays a part.
Q: Tell us more about the Teacher Wellness Programme that STU is rolling out.
A: We are working closely with schools on teacher-wellness. Besides attracting good talented people into the profession, the challenge is also to be able to retain teachers who are dedicated. This in turn helps the profession to grow. We do recognise that if teachers well-being is not taken care of, they will not be able to look into the needs of the pupils. STU has, in fact, engaged a wellness consultant who provides counselling services and career coaching to our members. We are also going to the schools to provide teacher wellness talks. Most of them often have this stigma about receiving professional help. Our message to teachers is come forward and seek help without having a feeling that you are being judged.
Q: What motivates you in your union work?
A: The joy in union work comes from the strong bonds among fellow unionists to help our members in their work. I look forward to ensuring that STU continues to attract and engage its members by staying relevant and representative of all teachers in Singapore. I also hope to promote and maintain good industrial relations between STU and the Education Ministry by providing effective representations.
Source: NTUC This Week
