Debated in Parliament on 11 Sep 2017.
Mr Darryl David asked the Minister for Education (Schools) how will the setting up of the new National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) affect the institutions presently conducting early childhood education programmes, such as the polytechnics, ITE and SEED institute, especially in terms of (i) staffing issues (ii) enrolment and (iii) the perceived quality of the certification issued by these institutions.
The National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) will bring together and build on the Early Childhood (EC) training capabilities and expertise of Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and SEED Institute. These four institutions will transfer their EC programmes, faculty and students to the new NIEC once it is set up in 2019.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is working with the four institutions on the transition of their EC faculty and staff to NIEC. About 60 to 70 full-time faculty with core expertise in EC are expected to transfer their employment to NIEC. There are about another 100 adjunct EC faculty currently employed by the four institutions on a contract basis. There will continue to be a role for the adjunct faculty to teach in the EC courses at NIEC. MOE and the four institutions will continue to engage the affected faculty and staff closely and see to the change management process for all.
For students, all EC students enrolled in the courses to be transferred from the four institutions to NIEC will be considered NIEC students from 2019. There will be limited impact on the overall student enrolment at the polytechnics and ITEs, as they continue to run many other courses. In addition, pre-Employment Training (PET) students will concurrently be identified as students of the polytechnic or ITE where their course is sited. We expect NIEC's intake to comprise more than 2,000 students in its first year and continue to grow thereafter.
NIEC will award the qualifications for students graduating in 2019 or later. For PET students, they will receive diploma and Higher Nitec certifications awarded by NIEC in collaboration with the polytechnics and ITE respectively. This recognises the role that the polytechnics and ITE continue to play in the NIEC PET students’ educational experience, for example, in the common, non-EC modules that they will take alongside their ITE and polytechnic peers.
We expect the NIEC-awarded EC qualifications to be well-recognised in the EC sector. EC alumni of the four institutions can be assured that their certificates will still be recognised in the sector.
The formation of NIEC has been welcomed by many as a significant, positive development for the EC sector and profession. We are heartened that the institutions involved see value in coming together to support the establishment of NIEC for the greater benefit of the sector.
PAPERCUTS