Why it's still so hard to have more early childhood educators in Singapore

SINGAPORE: She was working at a pre-school while studying for her diploma in early childhood education. But with a year to go, she called it quits. The stress of parents and their expectations got to Ms Syairah Zahira Azhari.

"Some of them are exactly what happened to their children," said the 34-year-old. "Even like a small scratch – sometimes we did not have that happened. But they'd question (us) – What happened? Why were not you … attentive? "

She even had nightmares, not to mention back problems worsened by bending a lot while taking care of children, like when she had to shower them.

"It was so painful that I could not get out of bed," she said.

"So I decided to leave. I do not like kids, but I'm taking care of them. Taking care of 13 or more is a totally different thing. "

The reasons for not staying in the job may vary, but the effect is the same: A pre-school teacher crunch. And now, the clock is ticking.

By 2020, 3,000 more teachers are needed to be in place. That is an 18 per cent increase in the current number of 17,000 teachers.

Despite recruitment drives for the sector, and steps to make the profession more attractive, it is still hard to recruit and retain pre-school teachers. The program Talking Point finds out what and what it might take to change that. (Watch the episode here.)

THE CHALLENGES

A two-week stint as a teacher's assistant in two pre-schools gave Talking Point host Diana Ser insights into the trials – and joys – of being an early childhood educator, provided by the practitioners themselves.

And one of the main takeaways is that the job is not as easy as it may look. Some people may have had a "wrong perspective" before they joined the sector, said EtonHouse International Education Group's senior teacher Shirlee Lim.

They may have thought "it's really fun", but there are stresses, and it can get "mentally tiring" to "keep thinking about what you want to say (and) making decisions every single moment".

"Like weighing what's important, what (to) are waiting for and being comfortable with myself," she added.

"The most challenging part is knowing that I can always do more, but I only need to know that I am in my life, and that I am always satisfied with it. can be. "

While early childhood education is her passion, she only made the mid-career switch "because of family expectations" at first. "My family would rather be an accountant," she admitted.

"Mum would say a preschool teacher is not a job that people would see you something that you'd want to do."

It is a sign of how people's notions of the job can also be challenged in terms of attracting talent.

My First Skool deputy center lead Eunice Tay said: "People would just think that 'oh, you're just a nanny' and you have to … take care of the children. Some people would like to work in the office and dress nicely.

"As pre-school teachers, we do not get dressed nicely, but at times, we dirty ourselves."

That may not seem "glamorous", but Ms Tay hopes that people realize pre-school teachers are far from being nannies.

"She said." We're professional teachers who know how to deal with children and … "

"We're preparing for future learning when they go to Primary One and are preparing for learning for life."

That means spending time not only planning the lessons, but also setting up the classroom environment. And that, to Ms Tay, is the hard part of the job because it can eat into family time.

Ms. Evelyn Tay, EtonHouse International Education Group, EtonHouse International, a member of the Executive Committee.

Another reason is the desire for new experiences or career advancement, which she says the company tries to offer. For a big player like EtonHouse, the problem is not about finding teachers but retaining them, she told Ms Ser.

Asked what the turnover rate was, she said: "Our attrition is healthy. We have about 25 percent of our teachers (and) staff who have been with us for more than five years. "

WHAT CAN BE DONE

The last time the industry's attrition rate was reported in 2013, when it was 15 to 20 percent. Since then, the early childhood sector has evolved quickly.

The manpower crunch remains, however, given that the number of full-day seats in pre-schools has risen by almost 60,000 over the past seven years.

Nonetheless, that Mr Eugene Leong, the chief executive of the Early Childhood Development Agency, noted.

"We've made the pathways for people to join the sector. So for example, for new students, whether from the polytechnics or the Institute of Technical Education, we have training awards, much better internships and mentors, "he said.

"Then for (those in) mid-career, we have to place programs and professional translation programs that allow the prospective teacher to enter the sector, earn a salary and receive training at the same time."

The National Institute of Early Childhood Development has been set up to consolidate the fragmented early childhood learning ecosystem and to enhance the quality of pre-school teachers. It will be welcome its first trainees next year.

But can not be done, for example, by thinking outside the box to attract talent? "Most certainly," said Peggy Zee, who has been a consultant in the industry for nearly four decades.

She believes the sector can provide a mid-career for those who "can lose their jobs because of artificial intelligence in the next five years".

"The other group might be the foreigners. Maybe allow for more foreigners to come into the market, "she suggests.

She also wants to be recruited to the world of children.

Currently, male pre-school teachers make up barely one per cent of pre-school educators.

And it may not be easy to attract more, because they could think of it because of the restrictions they may face, said MindChamps PreSchool Reading and Jonathan Kum's enrichment teacher.

The idea that men should be the main breadwinner for their family may also have a back seat, with which they can pay more attention.

"But, ultimately, it's passion that holds everyone," he said.

Watch this episode of Talking Point here. New episodes on Channel 5 every Thursday night.