SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Education (MOE) takes a holistic approach to monitoring teachers’ well-being rather than tracking singular metrics such as work hours, said Education Minister Desmond Lee in parliament on Tuesday (Nov 4).
Speaking in response to parliamentary questions about the results of an OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey, he said MOE tracks indicators including job satisfaction, retention rates and stress levels.
The ministry also engages with MOE teachers’ unions to “get feedback and suggestions”, he added.
The survey, conducted over 55 education systems in 2024, found that Singapore teachers work longer hours
MOE’s data shows that teacher workload in terms of total hours has remained stable at an average of 53 hours “over the years”, said Mr Lee.
“However, we recognise that the complexity of a teacher’s work has increased over the years,” he added.
Teachers in Singapore report longer hours per week compared to the survey’s average because they “spend their time differently” from their OECD peers, said the minister.
“While classroom teaching hours are shorter, our teachers spend time on other important activities such as lesson preparation, co-curricular activities and professional development."
Mr Lee added that these activities are important for providing a holistic education.
He also noted that while the survey is a useful benchmarking tool, it also has its limitations – the survey is conducted once every six years and covers a representative sample of only lower-secondary teachers.
“In contrast, MOE internally monitors the workload of our teachers more regularly – across all grade levels … through surveys, polls and various forms of staff engagement,” he said.
“This allows us to track closely and develop a holistic understanding of teacher workload trends and issues, so that we can adjust our policies and programmes as necessary.”
In his response, Mr Lee highlighted various measures that have been introduced to manage teachers’ workload and support their well-being, including technology and artificial intelligence innovation, system-level adjustments and well-being support.
Touching on staffing support, the minister noted that each school has about 85 teachers. Each school also has allied educators who counsel students or work with those with special education needs.
All schools have a dedicated administrative team that oversees general administrative matters, procurement, financial operations and logistics support, he added.
The number of allied educators across all schools has doubled from 800 to 1,600 and the number of administrative staff in each school has increased from six to about nine in the last 10 years, said Mr Lee.
Noting that schools can also procure manpower services and vendors for other purposes, MOE will continue to review the number of non-teaching staff needed in schools to effectively support teachers and students.
All schools also provide protected vacation time during the school holidays, said Mr Lee. Across the four blocks of school holidays, teachers get six to seven weeks of protected time and can take their vacation leave beyond these periods if they do not have any work in school.
Refreshed guidelines introduced at the end of 2024 also now clearly state that teachers do not need to give their personal mobile phone numbers to parents and students to “minimise the blurring of lines between work and personal time”, he added.
Teachers are allowed to report later at the start of the school day or leave earlier before the school day ends if they have no lessons or duties, said Mr Lee.
Adding that MOE has provided guidelines on flexible work arrangements since 2022, he noted that teachers can also work from home on days that they have no classes or duties that need them to be in school.
“Teachers who are unable to take on the full workload can apply for part-time working arrangements.”
The mean annual resignation rates of teachers in Singapore have remained stable at about 2 per cent to 3 per cent over the past few decades, said Mr Lee.
The survey also found that many teachers in Singapore feel valued by society and see teaching as an attractive career choice, he added.
“Based on the results from MOE’s staff engagement survey last year, teachers' perceptions of work-life balance support were comparable to those across the wider public service.”
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Speaking in response to parliamentary questions about the results of an OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey, he said MOE tracks indicators including job satisfaction, retention rates and stress levels.
The ministry also engages with MOE teachers’ unions to “get feedback and suggestions”, he added.
The survey, conducted over 55 education systems in 2024, found that Singapore teachers work longer hours
MOE’s data shows that teacher workload in terms of total hours has remained stable at an average of 53 hours “over the years”, said Mr Lee.
“However, we recognise that the complexity of a teacher’s work has increased over the years,” he added.
Teachers in Singapore report longer hours per week compared to the survey’s average because they “spend their time differently” from their OECD peers, said the minister.
“While classroom teaching hours are shorter, our teachers spend time on other important activities such as lesson preparation, co-curricular activities and professional development."
Mr Lee added that these activities are important for providing a holistic education.
He also noted that while the survey is a useful benchmarking tool, it also has its limitations – the survey is conducted once every six years and covers a representative sample of only lower-secondary teachers.
“In contrast, MOE internally monitors the workload of our teachers more regularly – across all grade levels … through surveys, polls and various forms of staff engagement,” he said.
“This allows us to track closely and develop a holistic understanding of teacher workload trends and issues, so that we can adjust our policies and programmes as necessary.”
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In his response, Mr Lee highlighted various measures that have been introduced to manage teachers’ workload and support their well-being, including technology and artificial intelligence innovation, system-level adjustments and well-being support.
Touching on staffing support, the minister noted that each school has about 85 teachers. Each school also has allied educators who counsel students or work with those with special education needs.
All schools have a dedicated administrative team that oversees general administrative matters, procurement, financial operations and logistics support, he added.
The number of allied educators across all schools has doubled from 800 to 1,600 and the number of administrative staff in each school has increased from six to about nine in the last 10 years, said Mr Lee.
Noting that schools can also procure manpower services and vendors for other purposes, MOE will continue to review the number of non-teaching staff needed in schools to effectively support teachers and students.
All schools also provide protected vacation time during the school holidays, said Mr Lee. Across the four blocks of school holidays, teachers get six to seven weeks of protected time and can take their vacation leave beyond these periods if they do not have any work in school.
Refreshed guidelines introduced at the end of 2024 also now clearly state that teachers do not need to give their personal mobile phone numbers to parents and students to “minimise the blurring of lines between work and personal time”, he added.
Teachers are allowed to report later at the start of the school day or leave earlier before the school day ends if they have no lessons or duties, said Mr Lee.
Adding that MOE has provided guidelines on flexible work arrangements since 2022, he noted that teachers can also work from home on days that they have no classes or duties that need them to be in school.
“Teachers who are unable to take on the full workload can apply for part-time working arrangements.”
The mean annual resignation rates of teachers in Singapore have remained stable at about 2 per cent to 3 per cent over the past few decades, said Mr Lee.
The survey also found that many teachers in Singapore feel valued by society and see teaching as an attractive career choice, he added.
“Based on the results from MOE’s staff engagement survey last year, teachers' perceptions of work-life balance support were comparable to those across the wider public service.”
Continue reading...