Dedicating her life to a career as an educator in Tamil language, Dr Umayalambigal d/o Ramakrishnan Mrs Thiruselvam had completed not only her Diploma in Education and Master of Education (Tamil Language) at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NIE NTU, Singapore), she most recently graduated from the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at NIE NTU, Singapore too. Uma’s thirst for knowledge and her desire to start a research in the field she was passionate about drove her to embark on a journey of lifelong learning at NIE NTU, Singapore.

“NIE has always been my top choice to pursue my higher education in Tamil language,” shared Uma. Her research was in the area of Discourse Analysis in Singapore Secondary School Tamil Classrooms. The significance of her thesis was on the nature of the Student-Teacher relationship in the Tamil Classroom, the nature of Tamil Language in and outside classroom and to what extent Standard Spoken Tamil (SST) is used in Tamil classrooms. According to her, the professors and administrative staff had always been like family members, guiding the students to excel in their academic pursuits.

At NIE, the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme focuses on an increasing emphasis on research in the areas of Arts, Education and Sciences. Applicants reading the degree of PhD will pursue an independent but supervised research in an approved field of advanced study based on which a thesis will be submitted.

For Uma, her regular interactions with her supervisor and other professors proved valuable as she recounted how new thoughts were formed through the exchange of ideas that were significant and supported the preparation and writing of her thesis. There was never a dull moment at NIE.

When asked to share one of her most memorable experiences at NIE, Uma recalled the fear she experienced the day before her PhD Confirmation Seminar. She spent a sleepless night convinced that “I was about to be targeted and ‘shot down”, like a lamb to be slaughtered by the panel of examiners during her presentation. However, after the confirmation seminar, she was surprised at how professional and well-meaning NIE’s professors were. The panel never intended to put any students down. On the contrary, they suggested improvements for her to finetune her proposal. “This experienced helped me to approach the faculty with confidence and prepared me well for my PhD Oral Examination!” quipped Uma.

"At NIE, the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme focuses on an increasing emphasis on research in the areas of Arts, Education and Sciences" 

Like Uma, do you aspire to expand your knowledge through research. Do you also wish to come onboard a learning journey in a supportive and nurturing environment like NIE? Application for August 2023 intake is open from 3 October 2022 to 13 January 2023. For more information, visit www.nie.edu.sg/aug 2023.

Also, if you missed the Postgraduate & Continuing Education Fair 2022, watch programme-related talks and videos here: www.nie.edu.sg/pgce.

The National Institute of Education (NIE) is an autonomous institute under the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. It has been consistently ranked among the top 20 educational institutions in the world and the top three in Asia by the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking.