The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teacher education in Singapore

Abstract

The National Institute of Education (NIE), Singapore, is an institution within the Nanyang Technological University. It has been the only teacher education institution in Singapore for seventy years. The students enrolled in initial teacher preparation programmes are mainly recruited by the Ministry of Education. The programmes offered are the Diplomain-Education (1 or 2 year programme), Bachelor of Arts/Science (Education) (4-year programme) and Post-graduate Diploma-in-Education (16-month programme). NIE also runs Master’s degree and Doctoral programmes. The students enrolled in these programmes come from diverse backgrounds; some are international students too. In addition, NIE supports teachers, school leaders and other educational professionals by offering professional and leadership development programmes and courses. This article will focus on the impact of COVID-19 on our work in initial teacher preparation programmes.