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Meet for equipping teachers with adequate skills

SINGAPORE: Education Ministers and senior government officials of different countries emphasised the need for equipping school teachers with necessary skills to impart education using Information Communication and Technology (ICT) effectively.

Participating in the inaugural International Education Roundtable organised by the Ministry of Education, Singapore, in association with McKinsey & Company recently, they deliberated on the theme, “Top performing education systems: Expectations and challenges for the future.”

The sessions, chaired by Ng Eng Hen, Singapore Education Minister, and Sir Michael Barber, partner at McKinsey & Company, and former Chief Adviser on Delivery to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, debated on what top-performing systems should do to nurture educated citizens and how to mobilise education systems to scale up successful innovations.

The representatives at the Roundtable were Hao Ping, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Education, People’s Republic of China, Marshall Smith, senior counsellor to the Secretary of Education, Department of Education, United States of America, Bronwyn Pike, Minister for Education, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Australia (Victoria), Michael Suen, Secretary, Department of Education, Hong Kong, Amelie von Zweigbergk, State Secretary, Ministry of Education and Research, Sweden and Dave Hancock , Minister, Alberta Education, Canada (Alberta).

Addressing a press conference later, they stressed on how the discussions revealed “similar challenges” facing the nations. Sir Michael said the Roundtable was an opportunity for Ministers and policy makers to have an informal conversation on themes facing education. They looked at issues such as how education systems needed to adapt to changes of the global economy and the importance of equipping students with the ability to engage in creative thinking, he added.

Speakers said that while countries invested heavily on ICT education, a total transformation was yet to be seen, making evident the need to equip teachers to impart education using these skills. Observing that ICT was only a tool and could only be as good as those using it, they stressed the need for teachers to have a shared understanding of “high level of teaching.”

They also addressed areas such as making teaching a more attractive profession that drew talented, high-achieving students, need for frequent refresher programmes for experienced teachers and involving community at a greater level.

Summing up, Mr. Ng Eng Hen, said the Roundtable was a valuable experience of learning and sharing. Countries could emulate the U.S.’ research methodologies on education, Australia’s emphasis on professional development of teachers, Sweden’s policies that impact the pre-school level and Canada’s effective ways of conducting public consultations on education, he said.

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