Six newly appointed principals of special education schools join annual MOE ceremony

SINGAPORE - A lifelong Liverpool fan and avid football player in his younger days, Mr Tan Siew Tiong, 59, was inspired to be a physical education teacher to share his love for sports with young students.

He started his teaching journey in 1991 at Nanyang Primary School, before rising through the ranks as the department head for physical education at Elias Park Primary School and White Sands Primary School.

He became vice-principal of White Sands Primary School and North Spring Primary School, before taking on the role of principal at three other primary schools, including Concord Primary School.

In 2025, he will embark on a new role as principal of St Andrew’s Autism School – a special education (Sped) school for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder between the ages of seven and 18.

He will be taking over from Mrs Veronica Ho, who will move to another Sped school, St Andrew’s Mission School, as principal.

Mr Tan and Mrs Ho are among six principals appointed to Sped schools in 2025 as part of the annual Ministry of Education (MOE) reshuffle. A total of 52 principals were appointed to new schools – both mainstream and Sped schools. Twenty-seven of them are first-time principals.

In 2024, principals leading Sped schools were also included in the annual appointment ceremony, which was held on Dec 27 at Shangri-La Hotel.

In a statement, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said the inclusion of Sped principals in the ceremony in 2024 underscores the ministry’s commitment to building an inclusive education fraternity.

“By bringing together leaders from both mainstream and Sped schools, we celebrate the diversity of expertise and perspectives that strengthen our collective mission – to nurture our students’ potential and pave the way for their long-term growth.”

Currently, about 50 per cent of Sped school leadership comes from mainstream schools, Mr Chan had said previously.

At the ceremony, the ministry acknowledged the contributions of 20 retiring principals and retiring senior education officers at its headquarters who had served as principals.

Speaking to The Straits Times, Mr Tan said he would need to overcome the steep learning curve ahead, moving from helming a mainstream school to a Sped school.

“I have to learn anew in terms of human resources, finance and the school culture. Therefore, I must have that adaptability and be able to continuously learn.”

He is grateful for the many opportunities he has had to grow and develop as an educator and wants to give back to others.

He started his teaching career after completing his A-level examinations and later in 2001, earned a degree in applied science (human movement studies) from the University of Queensland as part of a tie-up with the then College of Physical Education in Singapore.

He said that after having spent 33 years in mainstream primary schools, he hopes to contribute his expertise further in Sped schools.

“Over the tour of duty, from a teacher to key personnel to school leader, I think what’s important is caring for the students and caring for each other within the fraternity.”

Even though he has encountered students with special needs across the mainstream schools he was posted to, overseeing his new charges at St Andrew’s Autism School will be different as they will not follow a similar curriculum, he said.

As the school caters to students with moderate to severe autism, the curriculum will focus on functional skills to help them to be as independent as they can in their daily activities and participate in the community.

“Nevertheless, we always go with that heart of empathy and the belief that every child can learn,” he said.

In a statement, MOE said the process of appointing and rotating principals allows schools to benefit from new perspectives and enables experienced principals to share best practices across schools.

One of the first-time principals is Mrs Rebecca Yim, 42, who has been appointed to lead Woodlands Secondary School.

Mrs Yim, who started her teaching career in 2006, has amassed diverse work experiences, including stints as department head of humanities at Northland Secondary School, vice-principal of Nanyang Junior College and deputy director of the school operations policy branch at MOE’s headquarters.

She said her last stint, which involved supporting schools in implementing full subject-based banding, showed her how adaptable the ministry and schools could be.

“I think these insights have prepared me to see what I need to look out for, for my colleagues and students. For example, I know how important education and career guidance would be with the new opportunities that are open to the students under full subject-based banding.

“Having been away in HQ and coming back to schools again, I hope to ask curious questions and share different perspectives and possibilities.”