Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit wrote to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Tuesday questioning the selection criteria adopted by the education department to select government school teachers sent to Singapore for training recently. Purohit wrote that "complaints were received pointing to certain malpractices and illegalities in the selection process" and that there was "no transparency" in the procedure. A group of 36 teachers (the majority posted as principals) from government schools of Punjab underwent professional training for teachers at Principals Academy, Singapore, from February 6-10. Maninder Singh Sarkaria, director of State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Punjab, led the group. When they returned to Delhi on February 11, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Mann welcomed them. So, what was the Punjab education department's selection criteria adopted to select the teachers for foreign training? Online applications On December 22, 2022, the Punjab education department invited online applications on its portal epunjabschool.gov.in from principals interested in visiting Singapore for the training. As per the criteria of selection which the SCERT released, two categories of teachers were eligible to apply: school principals (who were posted in government schools as principals) and educational administrators (teachers who were stationed in administrative offices such as District Education officers (DEOs), deputy DEOs etc). Selection parameters for school principals The SCERT had released selection parameters and marks to be given for each parameter fulfilled. For school principals, the selection parameters were: At least five years of experience and having remaining service of five or more years (one mark for each year, maximum 10 marks) Evidence of excellence and further potential to deliver in the role of a teacher mentor Good communication skills and a proven track of service with dedication Qualification in written test and interview State and national awardees will be given preference (National level 5 marks and state-level 3 marks) Academic qualification: Master's degree (2 marks), M.Phil (3 marks), NET (3 marks), JRF (5 marks), PhD (10 marks) Vigilance certificate verified by head of the institution: Must Some general parameters were also considered while preparing the merit list for the Singapore visit: Students' academic achievements, increase in enrollment, innovative experiments in teaching, e-content distribution for teaching, articles published in research journals/magazines, promotion of sports, handling additional components such as mid-day meal, libraries, examinations, work for gender equality and girl education etc. For educational administrators At least eight years of experience was required, with remaining service of two or more years. The other parameters for selection were the same as for school principals. Final list The final list of 36 teachers included 34 school principals and 2 district education officers (DEOs). The venue Titled 'Vanguards Change', the 'Educational Leadership Development Programme' for teachers from Punjab was held at Prinicipals Academy Inc (PAI), Singapore from February 6 to 10. On its website, the description says that 'PAI was established on 14 November 2003 as a joint venture between Academy of Principals (Singapore) and Economic Development Board (EDB) in response to Singapore Government's vision of developing the nation into a thriving international education hub. Our work revolves around the provision of Professional Development, Accreditation, Consultancy and Enrichment to Educators and Learners alike.' *Trainers who led training programme for Punjab teachers * The training programme in Singapore for teachers from Punjab was led by Manogaran Suppiah, Belinda Charles and Mdm Lee Lai Yong. Suppiah is the programme director and lead trainer for educational leadership development programme. He is the former principal of Anderson Serangoon Junior College and the first Executive Director of the Academy of Singapore Teachers. Charles is the dean of Principals Academy and has led secondary schools and junior college for the last 25 years of her teaching career. Her posting was as the Principal of St Andrew's Secondary School, from which she retired at the end of 2010. She is the trainer for the newly appointed principals Peer Mentoring Programme organised by the Academy of Principals (Singapore). Yong has worked with the Ministry of Education in Singapore for past 38 years. She also served as external consultant and trainer at National Institute of Education (NIE), Singapore. Curriculum for five days On day 1, teachers underwent training on topics such as assessing current reality and visioning the future, single and double learning loop, brainstorming on 'what is not working and why' among others. On day 2, sessions were held on topics including '4 Cs of change- care, communicate, courage and commitment', assessment of learning vs assessment for learning etc. Day 3 focused on mentoring and lesson observation, day 4 on innovations in teaching such as 'Teach Less, Learn More', use of professional learning tools etc and day 5 focused on school visits and panel discussions. Rajesh Kumar Sharma, principal, Government Senior Secondary School, Machhiwara, said that training largely focused on how teachers can develop critical thinking among students. "In Singapore we observed that they focus on innovation in teaching and teachers don't just teach, they also learn from their students. Teaching is among the highest paid profession in Singapore and they have a systematic approach to achieve goals." The five-day training programme also had fun and recreation session for teachers as SCERT director Maninder Sarkaria along with 36 teachers also shook a leg with their Singaporean counterparts. The videos showed teachers from Punjab and Singapore dancing on Punjabi numbers. Funding Sources from Punjab education department said that entire tour was funded by Punjab government including travel, accommodation and training fee.
