They may not 'fit cookie cutter requirements' but the ministry is more than willing to take them in and nuture them to become teachers, Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said yesterday.
'Let's take him or her in and groom them to be teachers. We are investing more in professional development than any other country in the world.'
Already one out of every eight, or 12 per cent of new teacher recruits are mid-career entrants, who join the profession 'brimming with enthusiasm', he added.
He was speaking to reporters after the Taman Jurong Community Club open house yesterday morning.The minister, who will be addressing over 5,000 teachers at the Teachers' Mass Lecture at the Singapore Expo today, noted that professional development, including for mid-career workers, would be among the ministry's priorities.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had hinted in his Teachers' Day Rally speech last Thursday that details on the steps MOE would take to make teaching an attractive career would be out in a few days.
Elaborating on the need to develop first-rate teachers, Mr Tharman said that professional development would ensure teachers were able to reach new peaks. He also disclosed that he is likely to take up the issue of remuneration and rewards.
'That's something we do from time to time - make sure we have a good sense of the market benchmarks, make sure that we keep adjusting teachers' remuneration. Not just things like starting pay but really along the way,' he said.
The MOE wants to retain good teachers and recruit more, so that they will have more time and room to focus on their role as educators.
MOE, he said, was on track to reaching its 30,000-strong teaching force by 2010. Today, there are around 27,000 teachers.
'Then, we allow teachers to focus on what they feel they can do best,' Mr Tharman said.