Our Story

The past, present and future :

The Past: ‘70s – ‘80s

The Technical Education Society (TES) was formed in the 1970s to look into the professional and social needs of technical teachers under the umbrella of the then Vocational and Industrial Training Board (VITB), today’s Institute of Technical Education (ITE). For the period of 1977 till 1989, TES saw changes in membership strength. A great number of activities were organised for members. Members enjoyed activities like educational and recreational tours, seminar, courses, dinners, get-together functions, etc.

Present: ‘80s – ‘90s

The 6th Biennial General Meeting in July 1989 marked the era of a new team of management committee (MC) taking over the running of the Society. The 10-member MC comprises mainly Craft and Technology Heads of Department and teachers from secondary schools together with two representatives from the then VITB. The management committee has since grown to a strong 15-member team with one representative from ITE-HQ.

The early ‘90s was also a period of change in the secondary school’s technical education curriculum. The formation of the new MC with TES as a professional body looking after the interests of Design and Technology teachers augers well for the change. In the light of all the changes, the main focus of the Society was on the new challenges faced by the secondary school teachers teaching the new Design and Technology curriculum that replaced the old technical education curriculum. Like their predecessors, the MC members together with the various standing committees organised for her members a vast number of activities that were both professional and social orientated. TES also had opportunities to co-organise national events like exhibitions and competitions with the Ministry of Education and the polytechnics.

The inaugural issue of the biannual TES newsletter ‘PRIME’ was launched in October 1990. ‘PRIME’ plays a pivotal role in acting as a vehicle to reach out to the community of TES members and a link with institutions of higher learning related to Technical Education. To date a total of 18 issues had been published.

Future: 2000 and beyond …

In year 2000, TES enters the new millennium and the Society faces many great challenges ahead. The TES MC is continually looking out for potential volunteers to serve the Society and is in the process of “injecting new blood” into its MC. Her next task is to bring the functions of the Society to greater heights. The launch of TES’s web-site on 17 July 1999 at the 11th Biennial General Meeting of TES, represents another milestone in the Society’s history. Thus, together with a number of new volunteers coming forward to serve in the 1999-2001 management committee, the Society is ready for the challenges ahead.