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By Leow Si Wan
THE first batch of preschool and kindergarten teachers to gain degrees under a special Ministry of Education (MOE) scheme graduated yesterday.
Most of the 59 graduates already have jobs in childcare centres and kindergartens. They will earn more than their counterparts without similar qualifications and can expect faster promotions.
Many preschool teachers have complained about low pay and a lack of advancement.
As a result, the sector is plagued by high turnover, which disrupts children's learning. In a survey of 5,000 preschool teachers done by the Education Services Union in 2007, 34 per cent wanted to leave their jobs within 12 months.
Before gaining a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Educational Studies and Leadership, the 59 who graduated yesterday from Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) went through a two-year programme offered by Boston's Wheelock College, in collaboration with NP and the Regional Training and Resource Centre in Early Childhood Care and Education for Asia.
At the graduation ceremony yesterday, Dr David Fedo, the executive director of Wheelock College Centre for International Education, Leadership and Innovation, Singapore, said: 'There is a tremendous need for qualified early childhood practitioners...
'What we would like to see are higher salaries for preschool teachers, a better gender-balance and greater recognition that early childhood educators are one of the hardest-working constituencies in the education sector.'
The 59 graduates can command a starting pay of between $2,000 and $2,200 each, according to NP. This compares with salaries of about $1,500 to $1,800 for those with diplomas.
For the course's top student, Ms Cynthia Tan, 23, graduating marks the end of a long, hard slog. She said: 'I dropped out of junior college after one year.
'Now that I have done well, I realise it is about finding your own calling and that's the sort of attitude I hope I can impart to my students.'
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
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