TEACHING CAREER     EMPLOYMENT

Singapore - Local aspiring teachers will be able to find employment easily as Singapore is looking to hire 2,600 of them by 2015.

The country currently has 30,400 teachers and is looking to increase the number by 10% to 33,000 in five years, TODAYonline reported. Schools will also be adding 2,000 full-time Physical Education (PE) and other non-academic teachers by 2020. This will bring the current number of 2,500 PE teachers to 4,500 in ten years.  

According to Education Minister Ng Eng Hen, the ministry will be looking at hiring Singaporeans. Ng cited Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's speech on Tuesday to explain why the schools are hiring specifically locals. He said, "Part of the educational outcome is to create a Singaporean identity, and it's something that only Singaporeans can do well."

The Ministry of Education will also be paying attention to the professional growth of the teachers. Ng said the ministry has noted many Singaporeans are not just looking for a good remuneration package now, but also taking work satisfaction in consideration when selecting a job. Hence, the four new teacher academies located at the Goh Keng Swee Centre for Education will be responsible for enhancing the skills of current and prospective teachers.

Two of the academies, the Physical Education and Sports Teacher Academy and Singapore Teachers' Academy for the Arts, will be offering attachment opportunities for art, music and PE teachers to upgrade their skills abroad.   

The student to teacher ratio will be brought down with the new teachers, said Ng. It was 20 students to a teacher last year in primary schools, and 17 to 1 in secondary schools last year. By 2015, it will be 15 to 1 in primary schools and 14 to 1 in secondary schools.

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