MORE than 300 National Institute of Education (NIE) graduates were honoured at the NIE Investiture Ceremony on January 16th, but some stood out for the trials they overcame to embark on the teaching profession.

The Investiture awarded 336 graduates with postgraduate diplomas in Primary and Secondary education, diplomas in Education, Bachelor of Arts (Education) and Bachelor of Science (Education), but two ladies received extra attention for their efforts.

Ms Penny Chong Chew Luan, 29, and Ms Goh Poh Lin, 23, faced significant obstacles in their pursuit to become qualified teachers.

Despite being visually impaired from the age of nine, Ms Chong is optimistic about her new teaching career, crediting the support of her family for her enthusiasm.

The Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary teacher now helps visually-impaired secondary one students improve in their weak subjects during their breaks.

Said Ms Chong: “Helping them adapt to cope with their studies is a bit of a challenge because most of them have been studying in special schools all their lives. It is more tedious for them.”

Ms Chong has no difficulty getting around familiar places in the school compound, but seeks help when she needs to go to a new location.

Another graduate of note was Ms Goh, who overcame injuries sustained from a traffic accident to complete her teacher’s training.

The accident occurred in September, a week after her training as a teacher had started. She was hospitalized for more than two weeks, and remained bedridden for two months. She also lost the hearing in her right ear.

Ms Goh said that her friends and lecturers went to the hospital to encourage her and helped her catch up with her studies. With their support, she finished her training in the same year as her peers.

Now teaching at Mayflower Secondary School teacher, she said that her only problem now is gauging the volume of her voice due to the loss of her hearing.

In his speech as Guest-of-Honour of the Investiture, Mr Lui Tuck Yew, Minister of State for Education, credited NIE for ranking Singapore among the top five in the McKinsey & Company report of best performing school systems worldwide.

“It goes without saying that the quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers,” he said.