NIE's Bachelor Programmes Acceptance Rate and Safeguarding Subject-specific Teacher Supply Shortages

18 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Education (a) what has been the average acceptance rate, by decade, for applicants to the National Institute of Education's Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programmes; (b) whether current selection criteria adequately balance teaching quality and teacher supply; and (c) what safeguards exist to prevent subject-specific teacher shortages.

Mr Desmond Lee: The Bachelor of Arts/Science (BA/BSc) programme at the National Institute of Education (NIE) is one of the avenues for teacher recruitment. Over the past five years, the percentage of applicants offered admission has increased from 12% to 18%. Successful applicants are selected based on academic merit and teaching aptitude to meet our manpower needs in the different subjects. In addition to the BA/BSc, the Ministry of Education has other recruitment pools, such as fresh graduates and mid-careerists who complete professional training (Diploma in Education and Postgraduate Diploma in Education) at NIE before joining as teachers.

To meet our recruitment objectives, we employ various strategies including early talent development through elective programmes, green-harvesting via the Teaching Internship Programme and Teacher Training Sponsorship and the Teaching Scholarships/Teaching Award. Targeted strategies, such as establishing new recruitment channels and enhancing outreach efforts, are adopted for subjects with greater needs.