= FAVOURITE WORD =
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
[NIV]
New phase. More changes.
What would the future bring?
Thursday, March 16, 2006
"Recruit Less, Retain More"
Here is an interesting bit on education which I read from Daily Brief:
“Look beyond pay, career issues” (Victor Ng Beng Li, Today, 15/3, p3)
Today carried a negative commentary by Victor Ng Beng Li, a former school teacher, on the need for MOE to adopt a holistic approach in its review of why teachers were leaving. Ng offered a number of suggestions on how MOE should review its approach so as to “Recruit Less, Retain More”.
The full commentary is sectionalised here for reference.
Victor Ng Beng Li
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is planning to pay consultants good money to review teachers' pay and career structures. Yet, currently those who choose to leave or avoid the teaching profession are influenced not only by lacklustre remuneration or unpromising career prospects.
During the last education service review in 2000, salaries and bonuses were increased substantially and MOE introduced the Education Service Professional Development and Career Plan to nurture and motivate teachers to achieve their full potential.
The Connect Plan, meant to reward long-serving teachers, was also introduced in January 2002.
A sum of $2,000 to $4,800 would be deposited annually into a teacher's Connect account — a portion of which can be withdrawn at defined points every three to five years. One would assume that with all these enticing benefits, there would not be a shortage of teachers.
MOE is quick to highlight that the current review is part of a planned periodic process to ensure teaching remains attractive. But its moves indicate that it is becoming increasingly challenging to recruit and retain good teachers.
Of course, one could argue that MOE's long-term goal of reducing class size and the fact that many teachers are approaching retirement herald the need to recruit more teachers. But the main problem is that more teachers are quitting the service after their three to five-year bond period expires.
As a consequence, MOE has no choice but to hire new and inexperienced recruits, and as experience and dedication are paramount in the profession, there has been a perceived decline in the quality of teachers.
MOE needs to look beyond pay issues and career structures to adopt a holistic approach in its current review. In particular, MOE should seriously consider:
According teachers due respect and autonomy. Subjecting experienced teachers to annual "audit checks", during which supervisors scrutinise how they conduct lessons and correct pupils' written work, only serves to lower their self-esteem and make them feel like blue-collar workers instead of qualified professionals.
Abolishing the rule that at least 5 per cent of teachers in every school will get a "D" performance grade and thus not receive performance bonus. This rule is unfair because it is akin to saying that in a class of 40 students, the bottom two will be regarded as failures even though they have scored more than 50 out of 100 marks.
Recognising effective classroom teaching as the hallmark of a good teacher. School heads should banish the notion that since all teachers can teach, a good teacher is one who can garner titles and achievements outside the classroom, such as in co-curricular activities or sports. Many older teachers feel threatened as their younger colleagues, who are better at showcasing these "outside" talents, seem to be stealing the limelight.
Lightening the administrative workload of teachers. Relieve teachers of chores such as collecting school fees, consent forms, donation money, etc.
Allowing teachers to go on sabbatical leave. Teaching is a demanding and stressful profession. Sabbatical leave, say once every five years, will allow teachers to recharge and focus on their personal well-being.
Going easy on training. Treat MOE's 100 hours of free training as an entitlement rather than a target that teachers have to achieve. Courses and workshops should be voluntary.
Avoiding running schools like private organisations hungry for fame and glory. Schools should use funds meaningfully and customise programmes according to pupils' needs. Just because pupils in school A are using laptops to do their schoolwork does not mean school B should strive to do likewise. The question at the end of the day should be: "Have our pupils benefited?", not "Are we better than the other school?"
Ensuring that school heads have the relevant and requisite experience. Scholars and those who have performed well in MOE headquarters may not necessarily make good principals, without the relevant ground experience or good leadership skills. It appears that nowadays, six years of experience as a teacher in a Junior College and one year as vice-principal would qualify one to be appointed principal of a primary school. It does not always work out well.
Conducting exit interviews for teachers leaving the profession. Understanding their true reason for departing will allow MOE to make appropriate changes and stem the loss of valuable talent.
Apart from "Teach Less, Learn More", MOE urgently needs to embark on a mission to "Recruit Less, Retain More".
The writer is a National University of Singapore law graduate and former school teacher who now runs his own tuition agency.
jOyZ blogged at 12:20 PM
~~~~~~
