BROTHERS Mark, Marvin and Martin Chan had known what they would do after graduation, and that was to teach.

Inspired by their own teachers, two of them even returned to their alma maters to do so.

Yesterday, the trio were all promoted in the Education Ministry's annual exercise.

They, along with other outstanding educators, were singled out by new Education Minister Ng Eng Hen yesterday as being crucial to the Singapore education system, which draws its strength from the quality of its teachers.

Dr Ng, in his first comments since assuming the post last Tuesday, said that his aim was to make teachers and teaching a priority.

One way to do this, he said, was to give them competitive pay packages, room to develop themselves and a flexible work environment.

Dr Ng stressed in his speech that teaching is 'certainly more than just a job, it's a vocation'.

The Chan brothers would agree with him.

Mr Mark Chan, 36, now a vice-principal at Jurong Secondary, started off as a physical education and mathematics teacher at Temasek Secondary, his alma mater.

He said he became a teacher to spread the love of sports among his students.

'There's a sense of satisfaction when I see students enjoying a sport.

'Similarly, for mathematics, I see their self-esteem boosted when they're able to do a question after my explanation,' said the newly promoted Senior Education Officer 1A1.

Dr Ng also pointed out that, while a teacher's passion for his job was important, school heads also ought to help their team of teachers achieve a proper work-life balance.

Citing the example of Chung Cheng High (Main), which considers requests from its part-time teachers for specific work days as well as blocks of time off for teachers who have to see to family commitments during school hours, he encouraged other schools to adopt such flexible work arrangements.

Another way to give teachers more professional satisfaction, he added, was to give them opportunities to pursue higher degrees or courses.

The Education Ministry's professional development leave scheme, he noted, has proven popular: The number of teachers who have gone for it has jumped from 63 in 2006 to 168 in the first two months of this year.

More than a quarter of non-graduate teachers have also upgraded themselves, he added.

At the end of the day, the minister said he hoped to have educators who nurture and inspire their students.

The youngest of the Chan brothers, Martin, 31, knows this first-hand.

He said his teacher in Ping Yi Secondary, Mrs Caryn Ann Leong, 'gave neighbourhood kids a chance to shine' by nominating them for leadership camps and encouraging them to stage public drama performances.

So inspired was he that he decided to return to his alma mater to pass on this chance to shine to the next generation of Ping Yi students.

Now a discipline master there, he said: 'Many students here are from low-income families but they have the potential to do well.

'I want to give them that chance and help them level up, just like Mrs Leong did for me,' he said.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Apr 8, 2008.