Relevant teaching experience can help aspiring pre-school teachers in Singapore graduate with a degree in a shorter period.
Under the new arrangement at Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), professionals can be exempted from certain modules in their study if they’ve had work experience at selected Singapore pre-schools.
This means they can graduate as much as six months earlier. Early childhood educators usually take about four to five years to complete the course.
Education minister Ong Ye Kung called the initiative “ground-breaking” as it brings university studies closer to industry.
This is the first time that a pre-school operator in Singapore, NTUC First Campus, is partnering an institute of higher learning to offer recognition for teachers in early childhood and education degrees, reported the Straits Times.
“Many of our colleagues want to pursue a degree,” said Chan Tee Seng, chief executive at NTUC First Campus.
“They value the degree programme not just for the status that it confers, but also the opportunity to learn, to broaden and deepen their perspectives so that they can be better teachers and leaders."
The initiative comes amid efforts to upgrade the early childhood profession and attract as well as retain pre-school teachers in the sector. The early childhood industry has been quickly expanding in Singapore to meet demand from young families.