SOME senior teachers are cynically calling it a 'hardship grant' - paid to newbies to study and teach subjects for which there is a short supply of teachers.
Officially, it is known as a 'study grant'. But it's not for all who're studying to become teachers.
The scheme, launched by the Ministry of Education (MOE), is to reward only new teachers who have opted to study and teach certain subjects in secondary schools and junior colleges.
The subjects facing a shortage of teachers were not revealed by the ministry.
The one-time grant is a tidy sum of $6,000, that several new teachers have started to enjoy barely months into their careers.
Does it smack of the type of sign-on fee used in the private sector?
A ministry spokesman told The New Paper that teachers getting the grant are those who have been selected and assigned curriculum subjects in disciplines where there is a greater need for teachers.
Said the spokesman: 'This grant is similar to the $6,000 study grant under the MOE Teaching Award, which is open to A-Level and polytechnic graduates, as well as local undergraduates who are pursuing a local degree in a teaching subject.'
Only the cream of the crop will be selected for the study grant.
The spokesman added that the grant is open to teaching applicants who have already graduated or are graduating from university.
'These are outstanding candidates who would have been eligible for the MOE Teaching Awards had they applied for them earlier,' she said.
The ministry did not disclose how much has been disbursed so far.
A history teacher, who recently started work at a junior college, told The New Paper that he would receive the grant in two stages.
We are not naming the teachers as they need prior approval from their principals to speak with the press.
The first half, he said, was paid two months after he signed with MOE, and the rest will be paid after he finishes his one-year National Institute of Education course.
He said he was not aware of the grant when he signed up to become a teacher.
'I only found out about the bonus when I accepted the job offer - it wasn't something that was publicised,' he said.
He added that he was aware that the grant was being offered only to teachers of certain subjects.
'When I was applying to become a teacher, MOE was actively recruiting history and economics teachers. I assumed we were getting the grant because there was a shortage of teachers for these subjects.'
'Pleasant surprise'
Another teacher, who received the grant, said it came as a 'pleasant surprise' but that it did not figure in her decision to join the teaching force.
She said: 'The money is not that important. In the long term, you still have to be committed to the job for the right reasons.'
Some experienced teachers, however, are speaking out against it.
A teacher, who has been teaching history in a JC for 15 years, said she was concerned that offering a monetary reward for signing up as a teacher would attract the 'wrong type' of applicants.
She said: 'I believe teaching is a noble profession; teachers should have the right kind of values. Any reward should only be given for work that has been done. It should not be used as a carrot.'
She added, however, that she was not surprised that the grant was being offered.
'Losing battle'
'We're fighting a losing battle here. It's a new world, and the job market is such that people job-hop a lot more now. Perhaps you do need to offer a monetary reward if you want people to stay.'
Another teacher with more than 20years of experience added that offering a grant could attract candidates who do not consider teaching their first-choice job.
He said: 'It's fair to reward a teacher for good performance, but a job-seeker should not be applying only for the money.'
He added that older teachers, handling subjects facing a short supply of teachers, should also be compensated for their hard work. This was only fair, he said.
As one senior teacher, who has been teaching English and history for more than 20 years in a neighbourhood school, put it:
'I believe that we taught the subjects because we were competent in them. We loved the subjects and we cared for our pupils just as much as the new teachers do.
'I do not think that it is right to offer monetary benefits to attract teachers to this profession. Worse still, it is a signal to us, that teaching, say, English or the humanities, is a hardship that deserves extra compensation.'
But not all were against the move.
A school head of department for over a decade felt that the MOE was trying to attract the numbers now to make it easier for those in the profession.
She said: 'I think we would all have a lighter workload if there were more teachers. When I look at the science and maths teachers in my school, and how they can break up into smaller classes because they have the numbers, I am rather envious.
'In the end, it is the students who will benefit from these measures and that is what education is about.'
