THE Ministry of Education (MOE) is handing out more undergraduate and master's scholarships to give teachers more opportunities to improve themselves.

Yesterday, 420 students received undergraduate scholarships and awards - the most given out by MOE since 2003.

Last year, 300 teaching scholarships and awards were given out.

One scholarship winner, Tan Mei Hui, 19, will study music at the Royal College of Music in Britain. She said: 'Not many Singaporeans are exposed to music or can learn it as a subject. I hope that by teaching music, I can help to expose more people to music.'

Education Minister Ng Eng Hen said MOE will also pay for postgraduate studies for more teachers.

From next year, at least 50 more teachers will be eligible for master's scholarships each year. This year, 16 teachers were awarded such scholarships.

Master's scholarships are now open only to those who previously received undergraduate scholarships or teaching awards. But from next year, MOE will open the scholarships to other undergrads.

Those with first-class honours degrees from the Bachelor of Arts/Science in Education programmes at the National Institute of Education (NIE) and those who have graduated with distinctions in NIE's Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme can apply for the scholarships.

AMELIA TAN

This article was first published in The Straits Times.