GEIS-新闻详情

Young teachers awarded for dedication to guiding students beyond the classroom

2021-07-07 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-新加坡原网页

SINGAPORE - English teacher Moritza Lim, 30, remembered the anxiety she felt in 2018 when one of her students, Alice (not her real name), then a Secondary Two student, ran away from home due to family issues.

In the three weeks that Alice was missing, Ms Lim was in constant contact with her parents. She also tapped her peers for possible information on her whereabouts.

However, they had no success. The case was then handed over to the police who managed to find Alice.

Ms Lim said it was a stressful experience which affected her sleep and saw her questioning if she had done enough for the teenager.

The teacher of six years at Serangoon Secondary School also worked with students with long-term absenteeism. Some would not even turn up for school examinations.

To tackle this, Ms Lim reached out to the students and their parents to remind them of the importance of school. On exam days, she would give the students morning wake-up calls and their parents daily reminders on which paper their child was taking and what time they should report to school.

Such experiences cemented her passion for teaching.

"Being an educator is powerful because you have the ability to create opportunities for your students to learn. It's very meaningful when I can be that significant adult for them, and guide them on the right path," she said.

Ms Lim was one of six recipients of the Outstanding Youth in Education Award (OYEA) at the National Institute of Education (NIE) Teachers' Investiture Ceremony on Wednesday (July 7).

The OYEA is a national award that recognises young teachers for their passion and active involvement in youth development.

Six teachers received the Outstanding Youth in Education Award at the National Institute of Education Teachers' Investiture Ceremony on July 7, 2021. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

This year, 4,143 nominations from schools and members of the public were submitted, for 1,654 teachers from 272 schools.

Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman, who was the guest of honour, presented the awards at the virtual ceremony.

Also congratulating the 932 newly qualified teachers present, he advised them to embrace lifelong learning and the challenges of new global developments in complex issues like race relations and sexuality education. This will better prepare Singapore's youth, he said.