Singapore's First Professional Chapter for Early Childhood Educators
02 December 2009
Media Release
The Labour Movement Launched its First Profession-Based Community to Reach Out to Every Early Childhood Educator in Singapore
1. The Labour Movement launched its first profession-based community, Professional Chapter for Early Childhood Educators (ECE), to reach out to more than 11,300 early childhood educators in Singapore. Initiated by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), the professional chapter will be driven by the Education Services Union (ESU) to provide a holistic suite of services to ECE in the areas of employment, professional development and lifestyle benefits, with support from NTUC?s SEED Institute, e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) and NTUC.
2. This is also Singapore’s first professional chapter for ECE that will address the industry’s challenges by forging key collaborations with industry stakeholders to promote fair salary and employment terms, as well as improve the image, professionalism and qualifications of educators to drive the industry towards greater excellence.
Professional Chapter for Early Childhood Educators
3. The rapid expansion of the early childhood education industry with the setup of 200 childcare centres in the next four years will see a corresponding growth in the pool of ECE. Besides a rise in numbers, the quality of preschool education is also being improved with the raising of minimum qualifications of pre-school educators by the Government.
4. To meet the higher expectations on preschool educators, the professional chapter will help to upgrade the expertise of ECE by providing opportunities and resources to support their professional development. Members will be able to attend early childhood care and education (ECCE) workshops, discussion forums, and networking sessions with fellow ECE professionals; as well as access to professional development resources such as online ECCE articles and postings.
5. The professional chapter is open to all ECE in Singapore; and all existing ESU members who are preschool educators will automatically become members of the chapter. ESU professional chapter members will enjoy an additional tier of benefits and privileges such as personalised advice on employment-related matters and career coaching; as well as opportunities and financial support to attend international ECCE conferences and professional development courses with training incentives, awards and sponsorships.
6. “As the pre-school landscape continues to evolve, the needs and challenges of preschool educators and operators are also changing. ESU, with the setting up of the professional chapter, is now able to expand our reach to every ECE and be a one-stop source of dedicated assistance and targeted resources to them,” said Zainudin Nordin, Executive Secretary of ESU. He added, “ESU will also spearhead collaborations with industry stakeholders to enhance the employment, career prospects, and professionalism of ECE; and hence uplift the preschool education standard in Singapore.”
Boosting the Professional Development of ECE
7. With more ECE entering the industry, there is a need for a pool of mentors to develop the teaching expertise in the sector by sharing good teaching practices with novice teachers. Through mentoring new teachers, the mentors’ leadership skills and career options will also be enhanced. SEED Institute will conduct a „Mentoring Novice Teachers Professional Development Workshop? in early next year to groom senior teachers and principals to be effective mentors. To kick start the professional chapter, ESU will sponsor up to 35 ESU professional chapter members to attend the course.
8. The professional chapter will be a networking platform for ECE to engage in active discussions on ECCE topics. Beyond the local network sphere, professional chapter members will also be invited to attend international ECCE seminars, conferences or workshops to exchange ideas that address challenges faced and learn about best practices. Every year, ESU will sponsor up to five ESU professional chapter members to attend international ECCE events.
9. To help the existing pool of experienced and dedicated preschool teachers who may not be able to meet the minimum language requirements or the Diploma in Pre-School Teaching, a new framework based on the Employability Skills System - Workplace Literary course is being explored as an alternative to the O-level credit or a pass in English Language Proficiency Test. ESU and e2i will conduct a pilot Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) on a sample group of existing teachers next month to assess their English Language literacy level to ascertain the current literacy standards for discussions on the proposed alternative framework.
Launch of the Professional Chapter for Early Childhood Educators
10. Some 300 early childhood educators and key industry stakeholders attended the launch of the Professional Chapter for ECE at DXO, Esplanade Mall on 2 December 2009. At the event, they penned their visions for the professional chapter, and were inspired by two ECE professionals who shared personal stories on how they overcame challenges faced in their ECCE career and made advancements through professional development endeavours. The Guest of Honour for the event was NTUC Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Ong Ye Kung.
11. NTUC ASG Ong Ye Kung said, „As the preschool sector expands and faces an increasing expectation on the standard of preschool education, it is timely that the Labour Movement sets up a professional chapter for early childhood educators to address the changing needs of the industry and professional aspirations of preschool educators.” He continued, “As an inclusive labour movement, we reach out to working people of all collars, including knowledge workers. With a profession-based community, we will be able to deepen our understanding of the industry trends and challenges to help them build capabilities for sustainable long-term growth.”
