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Singapore to streamline non-teaching duties for educators, Lee says
Education officials are exploring ways to reduce the workload burden on teachers by limiting their responsibilities outside the classroom. The move comes as educators juggle multiple roles including form teacher duties, co-curricular activities and committee assignments.
LSN Singapore ·
Singapore's education system could benefit from having teachers focus on a narrower range of non-teaching duties to ease mounting workload pressures, according to Senior Minister of State for Education Desmond Lee.
Lee noted that many educators currently shoulder responsibilities across three main areas beyond classroom instruction: form teacher duties, co-curricular activity (CCA) leadership and committee work. This multi-faceted approach, while aimed at developing well-rounded students and maintaining school operations, has contributed to concerns about teacher burnout and job satisfaction.
The proposal to streamline these duties represents part of broader efforts to make the teaching profession more sustainable and attractive. By allowing educators to concentrate their energy on fewer non-classroom roles, officials aim to help teachers manage their time more effectively while maintaining educational quality.
The comments reflect growing recognition among policymakers that teacher welfare directly impacts student outcomes and the sector's ability to recruit and retain talent. Educational institutions will likely need to examine how non-teaching responsibilities can be redistributed or consolidated to support this shift.
Details on implementation timelines and specific measures to be taken have not yet been announced.