To commemorate Teachers’ Day this year, the Ministry of Education (MOE) held a Teachers’ Day celebration at the official opening of the new MOE Heritage Centre to recognise the contributions of past and current generations of educators to Singapore’s education story.

MOE Heritage Centre Balestier

Officially opened by Minister for Education Mr Chan Chun Sing today, MOE Heritage Centre@Balestier1 documents Singapore’s education journey since the early 19th century, showcasing how education has contributed to nation-building and the contributions of past generations of educators. It tells the story of how Singapore took its first tentative steps towards establishing an education system in 1819, the shift from survival-driven education to making learning more student-centric, and the introduction of extra-curricular activities such as sports, uniformed groups and the Singapore Youth Festival. As a facility for teachers’ professional development, it aims to inspire future generations of educators to build on the legacy of their predecessors.

The gallery, which is open to the public, showcases a chronological timeline of how Singapore’s education landscape has evolved over the decades and features thematic zones such as the transformation of teacher education and school building heritage. There is also a re-creation of a classroom filled with items commonly used by students of different generations for visitors to relive memories of their school days. Visitors may look forward to an interactive experience at the gallery.

MOE Heritage Centre exhibition zoneEducation in the Early Years: An exhibition zone that showcases the early days of education in Singapore from the 19th to mid-20th century.

In addition to the permanent exhibition on Singapore’s education story, a special year-long exhibition themed “United We Stand: Fighting COVID-19 Together” is also on display at the Centre’s multipurpose space, which showcases inspiring stories of staff, students, and schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.




Showing Appreciation and Care to Our Educators

As part of this year’s Teachers’ Day celebration, MOE launched an Augmented Reality (AR) Gratitude Portal, ThankYouCher.edu.sg, for the public and the education fraternity to pen notes of appreciation to the education community. The Gratitude Portal enables visitors to send virtual gifts along with a Thank You card, which can be emailed or given as a hardcopy printout. Recipients may scan the QR code on the card to receive their virtual gifts through an embedded AR image.

To further support staff well-being, MOE also introduced the “mindline at work for MOE” website in partnership with the Ministry of Health Office for Healthcare Transformation. The customised platform can be accessed by all MOE staff. It offers curated tools and materials to help staff manage different emotions and enhance their personal well-being, as well as build trusting relationships and strengthen the culture of care in the workplace.

Photos credit: MOE

The MOE Heritage Centre, which was previously situated at Commonwealth Drive since its establishment in 2011, has been relocated to the site of the former Balestier Hill Primary School at 565 Balestier Road.

How to Get to MOE Heritage Centre

📍 565 Balestier Road Singapore 329927
🚎 21, 129, 130, 131, 139, 145, 186
🚇 Novena MRT
⏰ Term time Tue – Fri 10am – 5pm | School Holiday Mon – Fri 10am – 5pm
🏷 FREE
🌐 moe.edu.sg

MOE Heritage Centre will be officially opened on 30 August as part of Teachers’ Day Celebration 2022. To celebrate our official opening, we have lined up a series of special programmes during the September school holidays – from dramatised tours to self-exploratory activities.

Visit here to find out more. Register early to avoid disappointment.

Nearby places to check out:

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