It clearly doesn’t take a genius to know that being a teacher in Singapore is a tough job.
Just last week, my editor, BH shared the story of how an ex-teacher left her job after posting a Facebook post on “Irresponsible Parents.”
We know too because just a quick Google Search will yield results conforming to what we already have in mind; that being a teacher in Singapore, if I hadn’t yet said it, is a pretty damn tough job.
Talking Point 2018 Ep 25
On 25 October 2018 (oh yes, last year. but facts always remain the same, just like water is always wet), Talking Point uploaded a video titled “Why Can’t We Find Pre-School Teachers? ”
In it, Diana Ser spent a week as a Teaching Assistant in 2 pre-schools attempting to “uncover the joys and trials of being an early childhood educator.”
While “old-ish” by the instant-upload-instant-read/see world of social media, this video remains pertinent as the cloud of needing fill up 3,000 more pre-school teaching vacancies by 2020, looms large.
The Challenges
According to Ms Syairah Zahira Azhari, parents unrealistic expectations were what led her to leave the sector.
Despite her immense love of kids, Ms Syairah shared:
“Some of them are very particular about what exactly has happened to their children,” said the 34-year-old. “Even like a small scratch – sometimes we didn’t how that had happened. But they’d question (us) – What happened? Why weren’t you … attentive?”
According to this CNA article, Miss Syairah even had nightmares about work and suffered from back problems which were worsened by bending throughout the day on job.
Miss Syairah eventually left the pre-school she was teaching at with one year left to go on her diploma in early childhood education.
According to Eton House International Education Group senior teacher Shirlee Lim, some people may have had a “wrong perspective” before joining the sector.
A common misconception is that “it’s really fun.”
That however is quite far from the reality of it as and it can get “mentally tiring” to “keep thinking about what you want to say (and) making decisions every single moment.”
She added that while she had recognized early on that early childhood education was her passion, she only made the switch mid-career “because of family expectations” which included her mum saying that “a preschool teacher isn’t a job that people would see as something that you’d want to do.”
As CNA succinctly puts it: “It is a sign of how people’s notions of the job can also be a challenge in terms of attracting talent.”
Retention, like attrition, has also been plaguing the sector.
Family, including the desire to start one and raise kids, is one of reasons why early childhood educators leave.
A desire for new experiences or career advancement is seen to be another key reason, albeit not being an issue that is particular to this sector.
What can be done?
Enhancements in professional development, is seen by Mr Eugene Leong, the chief executive of the Early Childhood Development Agency, as a viable avenue.
He noted:
“We’ve improved the entry pathways for people to join the sector. So for example, for new students, whether from the polytechnics or the Institute of Technical Education, we have training awards, much better internships and mentors,” he said.
“Then for (those in) mid-career, we have place-and-train programmes and professional conversion programs that allow the prospective teacher to enter the sector, earn a salary and receive training at the same time.”
According to CNA, “The National Institute of Early Childhood Development has also been set up to consolidate the fragmented early childhood training ecosystem and to enhance the quality of pre-school teachers” and will welcome its first batch of trainees this year.
Early childhood education specialist Peggy Zee quipped that mid-career changes for workers who might lose their jobs to artificial intelligence is an option.
She added to that man, who make up “less than 1 per cent of pre-school educators today” can be roped in to function as “role models for our children.”
To which MindChamps PreSchool reading and enrichment teacher Jonathan Kum agreed, but spelled out that “entering this industry is like a legal minefield” because of restrictions they may face” and added that “the idea that men must be their family’s main breadwinner may also hold them back.”
Both Jonathan and Diana agreed that a “higher pay could be a starting point for enticing more men.”
Incidentally, the 2017 “Polytechnic Graduate Employment Survey found that full-time educators fresh out of school with an early childhood diploma could earn S$2,300 as a starting salary”, up from S$1,900 in 2012, according to CNA,
In comparison with the general market rate of 7%-8% increment over the same time period, the salary increase in early childhood education had been 15% between 2015 to 2018.
That said though, I do think they raising entry-level pay and remuneration in general for these rare breed of people isn’t quite enough.
From Ms Syairah to Mr Shirlee, it well appears that a change in mindset, running the gamut from parent to teacher, and to self, society and the public at large, is fundamentally required before people chooses early-childhood education as a viable long-term career path.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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