Forum: Can we better support our teachers’ work-life balance?

In his recent National Day Rally address, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong emphasised the importance of building a pro-family society and giving parents more time with their children. As we celebrate Teachers’ Day, we must ask: Does this pro-family vision extend to our teachers, especially those who are parents themselves?

Singapore’s teachers work significantly longer hours than the global average, driven largely by non-teaching tasks. They are weighed down by administrative burdens, event planning and student welfare duties.

Having served as a parent volunteer in my children’s school for the past nine years, I have seen first-hand how hard teachers toil to carve out time for core teaching.

While schools with robust parent networks can shoulder some of the logistical load, schools without such support face a heavy disadvantage.

While school general offices handle a portion of the administrative tasks, they are often stretched thin by manpower constraints. Expanding dedicated operational teams to fully manage vendor logistics, school-wide events, and CCA administration may be necessary. This would offload a heavy logistical burden.

A pro-family education system should allow passionate educators to thrive in their profession without compromising their personal lives.

We entrust teachers to nurture our children’s futures. As we strive towards a more family-friendly Singapore, does our school system afford them the focus for their core calling, while still ensuring they return home with the energy to simply be parents themselves?

Hazel Chow Yi Lin