BACHELOR OF ARTS/SCIENCE DEGREE WITH DIPLOMA IN EDUCATION COURSE (Reduction to 3-year specialist course)

Mr R. Sinnakaruppan asked the Minister for Education whether he will consider reducing the Bachelor of Arts/Science Degree with Diploma in Education to a 3-year specialist course instead of 4 years, while maintaining standards, so as to attract more undergraduates to the teaching profession and to expedite the increase of graduate teachers in our schools.

The Minister for Education (Mr Lee Yock Suan): Mr Speaker, Sir, the National Institute of Education (NIE) offers a 4-year course leading to the Bachelor of Arts or Science Degree with Diploma in Education. It is not feasible to reduce the course duration to three years without lowering standards. The course comprises pedagogical studies (taught mainly in the first two years) and academic studies (taught mainly in the last two years). It is designed to meet the requirements of school teachers. The academic studies component is comparable in rigour and standard to the BA/BSc course offered at the NUS. This is as it should be.

Our future supply of graduate teachers will come from both our universities. Traditionally, trainee teachers with suitable NUS degrees do a 1-year Post-Graduate Diploma in Education course at the NIE before they are qualified to teach. Thus, a BA/BSc pass degree holder from the NUS will have spent a total of four years to master the academic and pedagogical content of teaching. This is comparable to the NIE's 4-year course for the BA/BSc with Diploma in Education.

In structuring the 4-year course at the NIE, my Ministry has been careful to avoid the unhappy experiences of some countries which went into 3-year Bachelor of Education degree programmes. Reducing the course duration means lowering of course content if the course is not to become too crammed and could result in a sub-standard degree programme.

Much as we want to attract more university graduates into the teaching profession, we should not do so by lowering standards. Good teachers are essential in our effort to develop our children to their full potential. To achieve an effective teaching force, we need to control both the quality of trainee teachers and the quality of their training. We also need to enhance the image and status of teachers in our society.

Mr R. Sinnakaruppan (Kampong Glam GRC): Sir, some years ago, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Arts in NUS conducted a "sandwich" honours programme for bright students, which was such that, instead of the usual four years, it was a 3-year programme. Can something similar be considered for the teaching profession, perhaps for the top students initially, so that this will shorten the time that they have to do the university course, ie, three years instead of four years?

Mr Lee Yock Suan: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not aware of the course that he was speaking about, but I will look into it. But the basic consideration is that, as I have explained, we must maintain standards. And it is difficult for us to cram the programme into three years.