Licence to teach

The Deputy Education Minister says that teachers need to sit for an exam to get a licence to teach (The Star, 22 May 2010. Ministry mulls over licence for teachers).

To become a teacher one needs to undergo training. During the course of training, there are sessions to attend to familiarize oneself with the art of teaching through pedagogical studies. The prospective teacher needs to know the psychological development of his prospective students. There are usually exams to sit for and assignments to do to be qualified as teachers. Now the Ministry is suggesting another exam. Isn’t it redundant?

At this point, it may be good to ponder over what makes a good teacher. Is he the result of the exams that he has passed? Or is a teacher good because of the experience that he has earned over the years that qualifies him to impart his knowledge well?

There are so many types of teachers. Some may have experience teaching the same subjects in the same old way for the past 10-30 years. Others take it as a challenging profession since they venture to try out new methodologies and give new experiences to their students.

There are those who teach very well, but are not academically successful in their particular field. On the other hand, there are those who are experts in their field but do not know how to carry the message across to make their students understand what the content of their subject is all about.

What makes a good teacher then? He does not need to be an all-rounder. He does not need to pass exams. His main duty would be to ensure that his learners have learnt something from what he has taught. The students should be inspired to want to know more. Does he need to sit for an exam to prove this? You may have come across the following adage:

The mediocre teacher tells;
The good teacher explains;
The superior teacher demonstrates;
The great teacher inspires

Many people may not know this but there is already a requirement by the local government that all teachers have a teaching permit while teachers from days gone by possess a ‘Blue Book’ which is their lifelong teaching 'passport'. I don’t think one needs to sit for another exam to get a licence to teach.