Singapore

Until 1973, the only teachers' training facility in Singapore was the Teachers' Training College established in 1950. Thereafter, Singapore legislated that all teachers had to be registered with the Ministry of Education, which formalized certification requirements. The Institute of Education (IE), which was established in 1973, assumed the functions previously carried out by the Teachers' Training College and the Department of Education of the University of Singapore. The IE soon became a comprehensive teacher-training facility for training of preprimary, primary, secondary, and junior college teachers. In 1982, the IE opened the Department of Education for Children with Special Needs to train teachers for slow learners as well as for the unusually gifted children. In 1991, the College of Physical Education was merged into the IE and was renamed the National Institute of Education (NIE). Its scope of activities widened to include more research and evaluation functions. The NIE provides in-service training and a wide range of refresher courses to keep trained teachers abreast of new initiatives in education in the advanced countries of the world.

The NIE provides training in all four language streams of education: Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English. It provides facilities for a one-year diploma in education for those who already have a bachelor's degree and a two-year certificate in education for those who do not have a degree. Its in-service programs enable primary school teachers to obtain a one-year Professional Certificate in Education (FPCE). Those of the primary and secondary teachers who hold a bachelor's degree and a diploma in education may enroll for in-service courses leading to the master's degree in education.