In Singapore, preschools plan to hire more male teachers to expand the early childhood sector. The Early Childhood Development Agency go on board through a national campaign to correct the misconception that the industry is more appropriate for women.
In this article, you’ll read:
- Low Rate of Male Teachers in the Early Childhood Sector
- Preschools Plan To Hire More Male Teachers to Break the Norm
Teaching is not gender-dependent and should never hinder those capable of teaching. For the past years, there has been a misconception that teaching is a more suitable job for women than men.
Indeed, women teachers outnumber men in the profession. It is the situation not just in Singapore but also in different countries across the globe. Most teachers, especially in Singapore, are women.
Concerning this, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) would not want to break the norm. They plan on hiring more male teachers this time as they believe that an individual can be a good educator regardless of gender.
Low Rate of Male Teachers in the Early Childhood Sector
Image Source: iStock
Nowadays, the number of male teachers continues to increase in Singapore. However, according to Ms Cynthia Leow, experienced male teachers only make up fewer than 1% of preschool educators in the country.
Ms Cynthia Leow is the current director of policy and sector funding at the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).
In 2021, Singapore only tallied a total of 185 male preschool teachers in the country. The results show that there is about a 63% increase in male teachers.
However, Singapore plans to establish about 10,000 more full-day centres by 2023. As a result, pre-schools must take necessary actions and tap male and female teachers in the talent pools.
Moreover, Ms Cynthia Leow also said that the early childhood sector would continuously expand. This expansion will result in more leadership opportunities as well as growing areas of specialisation.
“Male educators can play a valuable role as they bring different strengths and perspectives to our pre-schools,” said Ms Leow.
Aside from that, she emphasised male educators’ ability to be good role models for young students. She said that male teachers could also impact the development of the kids in their younger years.
Additionally, officials believe that hiring more male teachers means adding more diversity to the teaching sector. After they hire male teachers, they hope to demonstrate more meaningful roles for men to kids.
They also believe that this helps in supporting the development of children during their early years in school. These growing areas of specialisation include the following:
- Mother Tongue languages;
- Outdoor learning
- Socio-emotional development
Preschools Plan To Hire More Male Teachers to Break the Norm
Image Source: iStock
The Early Childhood Development Agency has plans to expand the early childhood sector. With that, pre-schools will need more teachers to cater to all students adequately.
However, societal norms and misconceptions adversely affect male educators and other aspiring men. According to Ms Cynthia Leow, most people in society believe that the early childhood sector is associated only with caregiving and is more suited for women or female teachers.
Various experience male teachers personally face struggles because of this misconception. According to them, there could be times when parents feel a bit concerned about the presence of male teachers.
Correcting the Misconception
This time, the Early Childhood Development Agency would not want to miss their opportunity to current such misconceptions. They are currently working on a national campaign to create greater awareness of the sector and career opportunities.
Aside from that, Ms Cynthia Leo said that ECDA would also want to foster tremendous respect and recognition of a career in the industry.
Early Childhood Sector to Hire More Male Teachers
Compared to female teachers, there are some constraints that experts are considering when hiring males. For instance, male teachers cannot perform routine care for younger children.
Fortunately, those in a higher position learned to work around it. They come up with other positions where male teachers could significantly use their abilities. It includes fitness specialist, art specialist, and music specialist roles.
In the past years, as well as in the coming years, preschools will become more open to attracting more males to join the teaching industry. Preschools in the country will provide more opportunities to men as they aspire to become educators in the early childhood sector.
People, especially those from the Early Childhood Development Agency, believe that male teachers could significantly impact the lives of young children. Aside from that, they could also be an untapped source of workforce for preschools.
With that, the Early Childhood Development Agency is asking for more support coming from the parents. Ms Cynthia Leow said,
“As we encourage more men to consider taking up a career in the early childhood sector, we hope that all parents will recognise the role male educators can play in their children’s development and support preschools’ efforts to draw more men into the sector.”
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