Page 19 - YOUTH DIGEST

TEACHERS FEEL EQUITY

AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY

IN SCHOOLS IMPORTANT:

TEACHING SURVEY

SINGAPORE - Almost all teachers in Singapore have positive beliefs about equity and

diversity in the classroom, a survey by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) has found.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) on Wednesday (June 19) released the results of the
Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018, a five-yearly study of lower

secondary teachers and principals that involved 48 education systems around the world
this year.

In Singapore, 99 per cent of principals said most of their teachers feel that schools
should encourage students from different socio-economic backgrounds to work together,
and that respecting other cultures is something students should learn as early as
possible. Across the OECD countries, similar statistics were observed.

TALIS also found that Singapore has a high proportion of teachers working in schools
where policies and practices on cultural diversity are implemented.

For example, 99 per cent of Singapore teachers said their schools organise multicultural
events, compared to 55 per cent of teachers across the OECD countries.

Another 95 per cent of Singapore teachers said their schools teach students how to deal
with ethnic and cultural discrimination compared to 80 per cent of teachers across the

OECD countries.

These beliefs and practices have also seen improvements in the special education

scene: Since 2013, more teachers here have been trained to teach students with special
needs, the survey found.

19 | YOUTH DIGEST