Speaking to 2,000 principals, vice principals and Ministry of Education (MOE) officials at the WPS, Mr Heng announced in his 90-minute address the following changes: the abolition of secondary school banding, the simplification of the Master Plan of Awards for schools, and the discontinuation of both the School Excellence and Sustained Achievement Awards. He also made it abundantly clear that unreasonable parental demands should not be tolerated.

The Minister's speech shows MOE's desire to reduce teachers' stress and workloads, to improve their welfare and to rebuild a culture of respect for what they do. MOE further plans to fine tune the assessment of teachers, implement a buddy system for them, be more flexible about their holidays and implement more training to increase their overall professionalism.

Teachers to Properly Recharge Themselves

The former Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Asia-Pacific Central Bank Governor of the Year in 2011 has been in charge of the Education portfolio since May 2011, and over the past one and a half years, he has been busy visiting over 30 primary and secondary schools, institutes of technical education, polytechnics, junior colleges and universities. He has visited the Singapore International School in Hong Kong twice. As a result of these visits and his interactions with staff and school leaders, the Minister has gained a deeper understanding of the role MOE can play in order to support the principals and teachers on the frontline of education.

He firmly believes this is the key to improving both standards and success. "In the education process, the most important element is the student but in the job of teaching students, educators, school leaders and teachers play the most crucial role. Outstanding educators can inspire their students and have lasting impacts on their lives," he said.

8% Pay Raise for 25,000 Teachers

At the end of May 2011, right before the June holiday, Mr Heng sent a mass email to all the teachers in Singapore. Besides briefly introducing himself, he urged teachers to make use of the holidays to rest and recharge themselves.

Later, he went further in showing his support for the profession when he announced a substantial 8 per cent pay raise for 25,000 teachers on Teachers' Day last year. General and Senior Education Officers saw increments of up to $550 and $830 respectively. Allied Educators received an increment of between 5 per cent and 15 per cent.

This unexpected bonus delighted many teachers. The last time there had been a pay adjustment was in 2008, when graduate teachers saw salary increases of up to 4 per cent and non-graduate teachers up to 3 per cent.

On the eve of Teachers' Day, Mr Heng left a message on the Facebook page of MOE, "It is challenging for our teachers to be in the frontline, day-in, day-out, especially if our teachers also have young children or other family members to take care of. But to our teachers, take heart that your hard work and devotion is well appreciated by all of us, especially at MOE."

Teachers Must Lead by Example

At the same time, Mr Heng reminded educators to abide by strict principles and conduct themselves so as to set good examples for their charges. In November 2012 a Code of Professional Conduct for Educators was developed to help them achieve this end.

In the past year, the MOE has had isolated instances where educators and scholarship holders have behaved inappropriately. In 2010, scholarship holder Jonathan Wong, a History Major at the University of York, was expelled for possession of child pornography. His scholarship was revoked. Shortly after his return, he had sex with a minor and was charged in court, resulting in a five-year jail sentence. The start of last year also saw a principal from a primary school admitting to charges of child prostitution. He was sentenced to nine weeks in prison. Finally, a teacher from a well-known secondary school was charged with sexual misconduct with her underage student. In light of these incidents, the public has become more wary about the professionalism and moral integrity of the teaching workforce.

At the 2012 Teaching Scholarship Presentation Ceremony, the Minister urged the teachers-to-be to uphold their professionalism. "You must also always bear in mind that parents entrust their children to you. That trust and confidence must always be maintained. Students and the public look to teachers to be good role models; likewise, they expect the same - if not more - from teaching scholars and award holders. Such expectations should not be taken lightly. I urge you to do your utmost to live up to these expectations."

Programmes to Raise Professionalism Have Been Progressively Introduced

Programmes to raise professionalism have been progressively introduced over the last two years as well. These generally come under the umbrella of the Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST) which was set up in 2010 and now trains between 1,000 and 2,000 teachers annually under the Teaching Skills, Mentoring, Structured Mentoring and Academy Fellowship Programmes.

Besides these general initiatives, two new specialist academies will be housed in the new Goh Keng Swee Centre for Education located beside the MOE headquarters at North Buona Vista Road. These are the Physical Education and Sports Teachers' Academy (PESTA) and the Singapore Teachers' Academy for the aRts (STAR).

STAR was inaugurated in July 2011 in order to cater for the training of the 2,000 music and art teachers in Singapore. These teachers will have the opportunity to travel overseas and attend lectures by international masters. STAR has already signed agreements with art experts from America, Canada and China. At its launch Mr Heng said, "A good arts education requires passionate and competent arts teachers," thus re-iterating the MOE's commitment to fostering these qualities.

PESTA, set up August 2011, will provide training for all physical education (PE) teachers. At present there are 1,500 of these but in 2010 MOE announced that the hours of physical education lessons in schools would be increased, and that more teachers would therefore need be recruited for the subject, so that by 2020 the total number will stand at 2,900.

Teaching Quality is the Single Most Important Determinant of Student Outcomes

In May last year, Mr Heng said to a 2,000 strong audience at the 6th Teachers' Conference, "Consistently, research has shown that the single most important determinant of student outcomes is the quality of teaching. The unstinting collective efforts of our educators, past and present, have enabled us to achieve high standards in our education system."

The new knowledge-based economy makes different demands of its workforce, and the skills students need to be equipped with are vastly different from before.

"This new concept of educational success focuses on the nurturing of key skills and competencies such as the ability to seek, to curate and to synthesise information; to create and innovate; to work in diverse cross-cultural teams; and to appreciate global issues within the local context. The 21st century student needs to be confident, proactive and empathetic. In order to groom these students, the demands have changed for the 21st century teacher," said Mr Heng.

The Teacher Growth Model

The Academy of Singapore Teachers has already collected opinions on the learning needs of the 21st century Singapore teacher from educators in over 140 schools, and in June last year it implemented the Teacher Growth Model (TGM) as a result.

This model allows teachers to plan the courses they will take at the Academy according to their teaching experience and needs, and the direction of their career growth. The TGM therefore encourages teachers to pursue their development through multiple modes of learning, including training, mentoring, research-based practice, networking and experiential learning, in order to meet their diverse learning needs.

"We expect our students to be conscientious, and at the same time we wish our teachers to continue to learn and grow, and to continually upgrade themselves. They should take greater ownership of their professional development and be morally upright. They ought to be collaborative learners, and reformative leaders and educators who are willing to contribute to the community in order to groom students to be ethical, cooperative, unafraid of change and willing to give back to society," said Mr Heng, summing up MOE's blueprint for improving both our teachers and students in the near future.
 

新加坡教育部长王瑞杰于去年9月的工作蓝图大会上，重复了这句去年2月他在华盛顿与美国教育部长邓肯（Arne Duncan）签订新美师资培训计划时说过的话。他强调了惟有提升教师素质才是搞好新加坡教育的重要策略。教师是教育工作的重中之重。

去年，在有2000名全国校长副校长和教育部官员出席的工作蓝图大会，长达1小时30分钟的讲话里，王瑞杰无论谈及废除中学会考成绩等级制，或2014年起简化"奖励计划总蓝图"（Master Plan of Award）制度，或不再颁发让各校追逐的最高荣誉"卓越学校奖"（School Excellence Award），以及让各校疲于奔命的"持恒成就奖"（Sustained Achievement Award），还有绝不纵容家长无理要求，其中一个关键词是"教师"。

王瑞杰的讲话展现了教育部要减低教师压力，减轻教师工作量、要重建尊师重道之风；还要关怀教师福利，如改善教师评估制度、资深教师扶助新教师、灵活应对教师假期需求，以及通过培训，全面提升教师专业水平。

好好充电

2011年5月，曾任新加坡金融管理局局长，并获选为"亚太区最佳中央银行行长"的王瑞杰，从政后到教育部走马上任。5月底学校长假前，他向全国教师发了一通电邮。电邮里除了简略介绍自己，还敦促教师们趁假期休息，好好充电。

他说："教育以学生为本，在培育学生的工作上，教育协作人员、学校领导和教师扮演了最重要角色。优秀的教育工作者能启发人心，对学生能产生深远影响。"

为2万5000名教师加薪8%

这位"亚太区最佳中央银行行长"的教育部长，关怀教师发送温馨电邮，除了口惠还有实惠。去年9月1日他为2万5000名教师加薪8%、教育协作人员加薪5%至15%，以每月为他们加薪最高至550元及最高至830元的送大礼方式，来庆祝教师节（有7000名教育工作者未获加薪，他们是已经大幅改善起薪的新教师、属于"超级薪阶"的高级教育人员、特别合约的外国专家等）。

这样的大手笔让教师惊喜。教育部上回为教师大加薪是2008年，大学毕业的教师获最高4%的加薪，非大学毕业的教师获最高3%的加薪。

教师节前夕，王瑞杰在教育部面簿上留言说："每天在教育前线工作是极富挑战的，对育有年幼孩子或必须照顾其他家庭成员的教师而言，更是如此。我想对教师团队说，你们的辛劳和付出是所有人都珍惜的，教育部特别感激。"

过去一年半，王瑞杰勤于跑动，非常忙碌。他走访了超过30所小学、中学、工艺教育学院、理工学院、初级学院、大学，连香港新加坡国际学校也去了两次。通过对学校的访问，他了解教育部应该如何去支援在前线作战的教师和校长。

为人师表必须以身作则

与此同时，他也婉言提醒教育工作者必须端正行为，以身作则，为学生树立好榜样。并于去年11月首次制定了"教师行为守则规范"。

过去一年，新加坡在职教职员和教育部奖学金得主行为不当的事件接二连三发生。留学英国的前教育部奖学金学生黄伟强2010年因拥有儿童色情录像，在英国留学时被控，奖学金遭撤销，回国后他不但不痛改前非，还因为性侵15岁少女，去年被判坐牢五年。去年初，一所小学校长承认嫖雏妓，被判坐牢九个星期。去年，更有两名中学女教师因为涉嫌与未满16岁的男学生发生性行为，被控上法庭。这些案件曝光后，让社会人士对教师职业与道德操守感到焦虑。

王瑞杰在去年教学奖学金的颁奖礼上劝告教育工作者说："我们有必要维护家长把孩子交托给我们的信任与信心。社会人士视教师为榜样，也对教师有所期待，甚至高过对一般人的期待。我希望你们不要辜负民众对你们的信任。"

提升教师专业水平的规划陆续出台

教育部提升教师专业水平的规划，这两年陆续出台。这些规划，包括建设在北波那维斯达路教育部总部旁的吴庆瑞教师专业培训学院，其内所容纳的有新加坡教师学院、新加坡体育与运动师范学院和新加坡艺术师范学院。

2010年成立的新加坡教师学院（Academy of Singapore Teachers），所推行的"教学技能培训计划"（Teaching Skills Programme）、"教师辅导计划"（Mentoring P r o g r a m m e ） 、"提携新进教师计划"（ S t r u c t u r e d Mentoring Programme）"学院学术交流计划"（Academy Fellowship Programme），每年培训1000名至2000名教师。

2011年7月成立的新加坡艺术师范学院（Singapore Teacher's Academy for the Arts）专为提升新加坡现有2000名音乐及美术教师设计课程。教师有出国学习以及聆听国际大师讲课的机会。学院已经和美国、加拿大和中国的艺术专家签订合作计划。

王瑞杰在新加坡艺术师范学院成立的仪式上说："要有高素质的艺术教育，就必须拥有具热忱与专业的教师。"

2011年8月成立的新加坡体育与运动师范学院（The Physical Education and Sports Teacher Academy）则为新加坡现有1500名体育教师，进行培训工作。教育部2010年宣布逐步增加中小学体育课时间，体育教师的人数预期到2020年将倍增至2900名。

去年5月，王瑞杰在有2000名教师出席的第六届教师大会上说："教师的素质是培养学生的最重要因素。就因为有老一辈的教师和新一辈的你们，新加坡的教育才能达到今天这样高的水平。"

知识型经济的新时代对劳动队伍有不同的要求，学生必须具备的能力也和从前不同。

王瑞杰对教师说："21世纪需要学生有探索的能力、有综合的能力、有创造和创新的能力、有跨文化团队合作的能力，以及有胸怀祖国放眼天下的能力。自信、自发学习、关心社会、积极贡献，是新时代学生的样貌，教育部对要培育这样学生的教师也有了不同的要求。"

教师成长模式

新加坡教师学院在搜集了来自140所学校，超过600名教师对"理想教师"的意见，去年6月总结出了一个 "教师成长模式"（Teacher Growth Model）。

这个模式是让教师根据自己所处的教学阶段、需要和发展的方向，从教师学院开办的多种课程，选择相关的课程进修。课程形式多样化，从实践和体验式的学习到反思式学习都有，可以在专题讨论小组的模式或在导师的督导下进行，配合不同教师不同的需求。王瑞杰说："我们要求学生奋进，也希望教师在不断学习中成长，不断自我提升。在自己的专业发展上发挥更大的主动权，使自己成为一位有道德操守的称职专业人士、能协作的学习者、有改革精神的领袖以及愿意为建设社区出力的教育工作者，从而把学生培育成为有道德修养、有团队合作精神、勇于领导改变，同时关爱社会的有为好青年。"