National Institute of Education (NIE) 5.49

The National Institute of Education (NIE) has its early roots as the pioneering Teachers’ Training College (TTC) founded in 1950. In 1973, the Institute of Education (IE) was formed from the old TTC; it was established as an autonomous institute of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in 1991. Today, NIE is among the world’s top education institutes, renowned for its excellence in teacher education and educational research and nested within the world’s top young university aged 50 years and below.

NIE leverages on a deep multilateral partnership with the University, local schools and the Singapore Ministry of Education to provide evidence-informed, practice-focused and values-based programmes and initiatives for teaching professionals and school leaders. The close partnership among NIE, MOE and the Singapore schools forms the cornerstone of Singapore’s top-performing education system.

NIE has played a key and pivotal role in shaping and developing Singapore’s teaching workforce. In a dynamic education milieu, NIE prepares teachers with the requisite values, skills and knowledge to meet the demands of 21st century learners and classrooms. The NTU-NIE Teaching Scholars Programme (TSP) is the latest addition to the suite of premier scholars programmes at NTU. It is aimed at preparing tomorrow’s leaders of education who possess the passion and aspiration to inspire, nurture and lead our next generation of students. The programme offers a unique opportunity for both personal and international development and inter-disciplinary exposure through seminars, conference presentations, leadership programmes research mentorships, internships and overseas attachments that help to broaden students’ perspectives and to develop the holistic reflective practitioner.

Besides undergraduate education, NIE has built a strong reputation for evidence-informed higher degree, executive leadership, professional development (in-service) programmes and courses that aim to develop students to become thought leaders, disciplinary experts and skilful researchers who can bring about critical change in their area of work.

NIE is ranked among top institutions for research impact and excellence in the field of Education. Our research philosophy is focused on impacting school practices, enhancing programmes, informing policy formation and ultimately, improving student learning outcomes. Our vibrant research culture has seen us ranked consistently among the top in the Bibliometric Indicators of Publications in Education and in the QS World University Rankings for Education as a discipline in recent years.

Our increased international reputation, has allowed us to further intensify our global influence through collaborative partnerships with other renowned institutions in the world. The Master of Arts in Leadership and Educational Change is an example of a joint degree offered with Teachers College, Columbia University in the US and the most recent partnership was a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with the University of Cambridge to facilitate collaborative research and enhance our students’ learning experience.

For its next lap of growth, the Institute aims to amplify its impact on the local and global education fraternity via a three-pronged approach of growing its knowledge capital and signature programmes, forging and enhancing key partnerships and boosting its institutional capacity and corporate professionalism.