Mr Lim had a similar experience. “I’ll be honest, reading up is one thing, but coming here to teach, it is different,” he said.
“I feel that as teachers and educators, we need to model the idea of continuous and lifelong learning.”
SISHK principal Tony Low, who took the helm in December last year, described it as “a dream posting”. He previously served as MOE’s zonal director of schools in the east and was the principal of two secondary schools.
“Having been in MOE for over 30 years and serving as a school leader for 20 years or so, it really offers a very unique vantage point for me to apply my experience in a fresh context,” said the 60-year-old.
Posting periods typically last three years for teachers and around five years for those in leadership roles, with extensions possible based on operational needs.
Accommodation and an overseas allowance for expenses and bills are provided by MOE.
For the educators posted to SISHK, Hong Kong is quite a comfortable place due primarily to the Asian identity and culture, which they are familiar with.
“Language-wise, initially I was worried because Cantonese is something that I’m really not good at,” said Ms Ong.
Her fears were unfounded. In the school, English is primarily used for teaching, staff coordination and communicating with parents. She also now speaks a bit of Cantonese, picking up phrases related to directions and other basic words.
“I believe in the power of local connections. To that end, I’m working on my Cantonese to ensure that I can engage even more authentically with the local community and with some of my operational staff here, like the cleaners,” said Mr Low.
“Sometimes they are exchanging views in Cantonese. I want to join them and make them feel that I’m with them, so learning the language is important for me.”
VALUE OF SINGAPOREANS ABROAD
The educators say they bring a uniquely Singaporean perspective to education in their overseas stints.
Mr Lim points to Character and Citizenship Education (CCE), which aims to nurture values such as respect, responsibility and resilience in students.
“The idea of holistic and moral education is something that has played a huge part for us, both as a student, as well as in our training as teachers. And that is something very valuable that we are bringing here: the idea of how to be human,” he said.
Singapore’s mathematics and science curriculum is another draw, said Ms Ong. “The school (SISHK) uses this, and parents actually welcome this. In fact, some of them chose this school because we use the maths and science syllabus from Singapore.”
She credits its appeal to a structured approach backed by clear teaching guides and resources.
Mr Low said the benefits flow both ways. “It also provides our Singapore teachers that window of time for them to sharpen their skillsets and build their portfolio, and adds to their exposure and experience for them to then bring it back to Singapore,” he said.
