News

Plans To Develop Competencies Of Teachers In EIPIC And Other Programmes

08 Oct 2014

Ms Chia Yong Yong
Nominated Member of Parliament

Question

To ask the Minister for Social and Family Development whether there are plans for the Early Childhood Development Agency or any other agency to develop competencies of teachers in Early Intervention Programmes for Infants and Children (EIPIC) and other programmes that support teachers working in preschool settings.

Answer​

From 1 October this year, EIPIC teachers are required to attend certified training in early intervention within 2 years of joining the sector. The courses include Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s 2-year part-time ‘Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood Intervention (Special Needs)’ and certificate courses run by the Autism Resource Centre. 80% of the course fees is covered by subsidies from the ’VWOs Capability Fund’.

The Development Support Programme (DSP) supports children in mainstream pre-schools with mild learning difficulties. An 8-month course is in place to train the Learning Support Educators to equip them to screen the children and carry out in-class support.

In addition to these efforts, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) will support pre-school educators to develop deeper professional competencies and skills by putting in place structured career pathways for the early childhood sector. Opportunities for upgrading are also being expanded through a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Masterplan, which has seen over 5,000 teachers trained this year. More CPD courses will be added next year, which will include courses that help teachers identify and support children with special needs.

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