By Veena Bharwani

SHE teaches Normal-Technical students and calls to check on them when they do not turn up for school.

She marks papers, counsels her students when they have problems and disciplines them when they get out of line.

But Ms Louisa Ho is not a teacher.

She is an education associate, one of 91 deployed by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to secondary schools to co-teach in Normal-Technical classes.

And MOE is set to recruit more of them soon.

Ms Ho, 36, teaches in Shuqun Secondary and her students are so close to her that they call her 'Mummy Louisa'.

Like many teachers, she sometimes spends more than 12 hours in school, attending to students and school matters.

Student Jeremy Ng, 15, said of her: 'When I don't come to school, she immediately calls to find out what happened. She's really like a mother to us.'

For quality co-educators like Ms Ho, they can expect their salary and work terms to improve as MOE seeks to retain and attract people like her.

Mrs Ho said of the changes: 'We are in the classroom as well doing quite a bit of teaching, so it would be good to receive more benefits like other teachers.'

Ms Ho, who ran a preschool centre for five years, joined a secondary school this year - taking a 50-per-cent pay cut - because she wanted to help older children.

According to MOE, the majority of such 'allied educators' are mid-career officers.

Ms Ho has a diploma in preschool education (in teaching and leadership) and a business diploma.

She was a corporate secretary for eight years before she joined a preschool.

Drawing from her business background, Ms Ho also exposes her students to business concepts.

Added dimension

Student Ivan Tan, 16, said: 'She has a lot of experience in business and teaches us a lot about the outside world and how important it is to communicate well.'

Madam Khatijah Mohd Yatim, the teacher whom Ms Ho supports, said Ms Ho is a big help: 'Sometimes, when I need to be out of school - as I'm also in charge of a community programme - I tell the students to see her if they need any help. Since she came, it has been easier to manage the Normal-Technical class as I have another strong hand helping me.

'The students have also done better because there are two of us helping them.'

Shuqun Secondary principal Adolphus Tan said: 'While teachers provide students with a solid academic base, Louisa and other allied educators provide students with other varied life experiences.

'They keep learning for students as realistic as possible.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on Sept 26, 2008.