03902

29 Aug 02

President's Award for Teachers 2002

1        Three outstanding teachers who have demonstrated selfless service will receive the President's Award for Teachers this year. They are: Mdm Stefane Tan Hugue Hwan (Meridian Primary School), Miss Koe Heong Yin (The Chinese High School) and Mdm Tong Wai Han (Ang Mo Kio Secondary School). The three teachers will receive their awards from the President of the Republic of Singapore, Mr S. R. Nathan, at the Istana on Saturday 31 August 02.

2        The information on the three awardees is at Annex A.

3        The annual President's Award for Teachers is the nation's highest accolade for the teaching fraternity, and recognises the teaching profession's commitment to the total development of students and its contribution to nation building. The award honours the recipients as exemplars who have demonstrated the passion, courage and perseverance to inspire and shape the nation's young.

4        More than 6,000 nominations from principals, teachers, students, parents and former students were received this year. This is more than double last year's nominations. A total of 1,385 teachers from 215 schools were nominated. The Selection Panel, comprising prominent members of the community and senior officers from the Ministry of Education (see Annex B), identified three recipients for the award this year.

Annex A

RECIPIENTS OF THE PRESIDENT'S AWARD FOR TEACHERS 2002

Mdm Stefane Tan Hugue Hwan, Meridian Primary School

1.        Mdm Stefane Tan, 34, is Subject Head for Civics and Moral Education, Discipline and Pupil Welfare at Meridian Primary School.

2.        Mdm Tan is committed to making lessons enjoyable and meaningful for her students. She nudges her students into discovering and setting the direction of lessons, and encourages them to be participants by involving them in activities such as the designing of teaching aids. Group work and buddying-up is a norm in her class. Mdm Tan firmly believes that students learn better when they are given the opportunity to contribute and be useful. Her affirmative and inspiring outlook encourages her students to share their work and ideas with her.

3.        Her strong belief in the capability of her young students led Mdm Tan to start a Leadership Development Programme for Primary 3 and 4 student leaders. When she initiated a school-childcare partnership programme and an orientation programme for pre-schoolers to Meridian Primary, these young student leaders were provided with a golden opportunity to apply and sharpen their leadership skills. Their confidence soared greatly.

4.        Mdm Tan is a strong advocate of continual learning. A mother of a three-year-old, she is currently in her third year in the Open University Degree (OUD) programme. A strong believer in pastoral care and pupil welfare, she has also completed the Diploma in Pastoral Care and Career Guidance course. Among her peers, she is known to be humble and keen to seek ways to develop herself professionally.

5.       Her tenacious passion for the development of well-rounded students has won her much admiration, respect and gratitude from colleagues, parents and students. Through her care and concern, she has helped students lay aside their fears and doubts and see the best in themselves, and to love being at school. Many parents have expressed their gratitude by supporting the school in various activities. To Mdm Stefane Tan, every child is our hope for the future.

Ms Koe Heong Yin, The Chinese High School

1.        Ms Koe Heong Yin, 43, is a biology teacher at The Chinese High School. She received the Outstanding Science Teacher Award in 1999 and was appointed Consortium Head in 2001.

2.        Ms Koe's hallmark in education is her ability to enhance the capacity of her students to learn and excel. She is able to break the psychological barriers of her students such that they achieve beyond their own expectations. She has initiated curriculum changes such as the introduction of research modules, and integrated them with other school programmes such as Thinking Skills and Oral History. Students under her charge are strongly urged to explore new frontiers. This has led to many innovative projects and awards in nation-wide competitions, as well as partnerships with tertiary institutions.

3.        A developer of students' potential, Ms Koe creates challenges for her students, such as organising Parent-Teacher gatherings and having Secondary 1 students as the Masters of Ceremony for school functions. These challenges, coupled with her support, have boosted their confidence and morale. In the same spirit, she developed a challenging outdoor programme that took her students to Nepal on an adventure camp. The experience was highly valued and today, many of the school's camps venture beyond our shores. She sees withdrawn or troubled students as unique individuals who, like rough diamonds, merely need some honing, and she puts in time and effort to listen, inspire and develop them.

4.        Ms Koe places great importance on the character and moral development of her students. She actively encourages them to be involved in community service and has initiated, with great success, fund-raising projects for MINDs and the National Kidney Foundation, for which the school and students have both received awards. Within her consortium, students from one level nurture students from another. Her interest in character-building and moral development has led her to pursue a Masters in Applied Psychology currently.

5.        As a biology teacher, Ms Koe's teaching strategies fire her students' curiosity, innovation and creativity. Notwithstanding her Outstanding Science Teacher award in 1999, she continues to explore new learning and creative teaching methods in Biology, and often discusses and shares her learning with her colleagues.

6.        Ms Koe Heong Yin is held in high esteem both by her peers as well as her students and ex-students, many of whom still keep in touch with her. To Ms Koe, the fruits of her labour lie in the development of her students, and in them she sees her greatest achievement.

Mdm Tong Wai Han, Ang Mo Kio Secondary School

1.        Mdm Tong Wai Han, 44, is Head of Department, Science, at Ang Mo Kio Secondary School. She teaches biology and chemistry.

2.        Mdm Tong's passion for the profession goes beyond teaching her students biology and chemistry. She spends hours outside curriculum time counselling students with behavioural or family problems. Through her compassion and support, she has motivated her students, some from the Normal (Technical) stream, to achieve far beyond their expectations. She sees her role as not just imparting knowledge to students, but emphasising character building also. She believes that a well-moulded individual is not measured by academic achievements alone but by character excellence as well.

3.        Her lessons in class are filled with fun and interesting anecdotes. In recognition of her creative teaching strategies, she was awarded the Ang Kok Peng Memorial Scholarship in the 'Professional Advancement Programme for Outstanding Chemistry Teachers' category in 2001. She engages her class in the discussion of moral and ethical issues during lessons, and imparts values in the process. She advocates peer learning and encourages those who are stronger in certain academic subjects to help the weaker ones. She works to develop creative young men and women rooted in sound values who will thrive in society. Her ex-students appreciate her efforts in spurring them to strive for their best, even in the face of stiff competition. Many of them keep in touch with her and share with her their dreams and worries. They are her greatest testimony to her devotion and love for teaching.

4.        Mdm Tong is an inspiring model of lifelong learning who upgrades herself continually. She keeps abreast of current trends and developments in science and the teaching of science, by attending a wide variety of courses. She organises and develops enrichment activities such as life-skill courses, Science camps and Data Logger courses to foster a similar passion for continual learning in her students.

5.        Mdm Tong Wai Han's passion for teaching and her dedication to professional growth has led her to be actively involved in the induction of beginning teachers, and the mentoring and professional development of her peers. Her superiors, peers, students and parents hold her in high regard. Two former students who are PSC Teaching Scholarship awardees named her as the teacher who has made the most impact on them. Teaching is Mdm Tong's calling, and she aspires to impact the future by moulding today's child.

Annex B

Members on the Selection Panel for President's Award for Teachers 2002