TRAINING OF SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHERS

Mr Chng Hee Kok asked the Minister for National Development if he will improve the priority scheme for first-time house owners in the balloting of Housing and Development Board flats.

Dr Richard Hu Tsu Tau: Under the existing Revised Balloting Scheme (RBS), implemented since January 1992, new households enjoy enhanced probabilities of success compared to upgraders at the ballot for HDB flats in non-mature estates. Apart from Tampines New Town where demand far exceeds supply, new household applicants who continually apply for flats in non-mature estates should generally be able to book a flat within a year of their first application. In the case of upgrader applicants, it is 2 years from the date of their first application. In other words, new household applicants are given a one year headstart over upgraders under the RBS in the allocation of HDB flats in non-mature estates.

The RBS is fair as it gives both new households and upgraders a chance of being allocated a flat. At the same time, it recognises the greater need of new household applicants to be allocated flats earlier. HDB will continue to monitor the RBS and will make appropriate adjustments, if necessary.

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon asked the Minister for Education how second language teachers are trained, as maintaining the standards of second languages like Malay, Mandarin and Tamil is important to the drive to encourage Singaporeans to venture overseas.

Mr Lee Yock Suan: Newly-recruited mother tongue teachers have to undergo pre-service training at the National Institute of Education (NIE) before they are appointed to the Education Service. Serving teachers have opportunities to attend in-service courses, workshops and seminars to upgrade their content knowledge and teaching skills.

NIE conducts three pre-service language specialisation programmes to train mother tongue teachers. They are:

The Diploma in Education (with specialisation in mother tongue) for teaching in primary schools.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Education (with specialisation in mother tongue) for teaching in primary schools.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Education (with specialisation in mother tongue and literature) for teaching in secondary schools. In addition, NIE also offers a degree course leading to the award of Bachelor of Arts with Diploma in Education. Students may read Chinese Language as one of the two academic subjects they have to offer, together with studies in the Teaching of Chinese.

All the three programmes for pre-service training are designed to prepare students to teach Chinese, Malay or Tamil at both the first language and the second language levels in schools.

At present, the Ministry of Education organises in-service courses conducted by NIE lecturers and other local trainers to upgrade the skills of serving mother tongue teachers. MOE will increase the variety of local in-service programmes for mother tongue teachers by recruiting trainers from abroad to conduct the training courses.

The Ministry also sends mother tongue teachers and specialists for short courses, seminars and conferences in the PRC, Malaysia, Indonesia and India for further training to enable them to keep abreast of the latest language and educational developments. The number of mother tongue officers selected for overseas training has increased from 18 in 1992 to 26 in 1993. During the recent June holidays, 12 Chinese Language teachers and specialists were sent to PRC to attend a course while 6 Tamil Language teachers and specialists were sent to India to attend a course. In addition, 4 Malay Language officers would be attending conferences in Indonesia and Malaysia this year.