Singapore
Pre-service teacher training in technology use
Singapore is one of the few countries that have integrated the use of information technology into their pre-service teacher training programmes. Singapore's National Institute of Education (NIE), the only pre-service programme in the country, moved quickly and decisively to implement this integration when, in 1997, the government launched the Master Plan for Information Technology in Education. In two years, they NIE trained the whole faculty, installed an ICT infrastructure, put in place a system of technical support, reduced and revised the curriculum to accommodate the integration of ICT into teaching and learning, and established a research and development programme on the use of ICT in education.
The fact that there are extensive resources available in Singapore must not be neglected. However, a significant key to the programme's success is the thorough, systematic approach - an approach buttressed by clear direction from the top, conveying that this is a high priority for the institution and for the citizens of Singapore. It is viewed as essential link in a chain of actions needed to continue competing successfully in the new global economy and knowledge-based society.