ECDA redesigning pre-school teachers’ jobs; some want AI in lesson plans, ‘time out’ in work day
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Ms Imeelia Ismail, head of schools at Shaws Preschool Group, was one of the newly appointed PASTELs at the Early Childhood Learning Communities appointment ceremony on April 22.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
- ECDA launched a sector-wide job redesign in April to support preschool teachers' well-being and professional growth.
- Suggestions include using technology to automate tasks and strengthening non-contact time for lesson planning and parent engagement.
- The ECLC programme appointed 110 senior educators as leaders, as Singapore's preschool workforce targets 3,500 more by 2030.
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SINGAPORE – The work processes of pre-school teachers are being relooked by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).
The sector-wide job redesign, announced during the debate on the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF) budget in March, started earlier in April.
Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming gave this update at the Early Childhood Learning Communities (ECLC) appointment ceremony on April 22 at the National Gallery Singapore.
“These efforts are about supporting educators – yourselves – in your daily work, and ensuring you can continue to grow and thrive under the right conditions within the profession,” said Mr Goh, adding that the Government welcomes feedback from the sector.
Ms Annabel Ho, a senior Chinese language teacher at My First Skool at Block 375 Clementi Avenue 4, told The Straits Times that she hopes more technology can be used to ease teachers’ workloads.
Ms Ho said artificial intelligence can generate fresh ideas for lessons, while daily health checks on children – which typically take much time – could be automated.
“This would lighten everyday tasks, allowing teachers to focus on thoughtful interaction,” said Ms Ho, who has worked about five years at the centre.
Dr Cynthia Lim, who heads the early childhood education programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, hopes teachers will be given “time out” in their work schedule. Dr Lim, who taught at private and public pre-schools for over a decade, said teachers can use this time to recalibrate or prepare lesson materials.
Mr Goh said MSF is working with the sector to strengthen the adoption of non-contact time, or letting pre-school teachers have time away from supervising children to do other work such as lesson plans and engaging parents.
Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming speaks at the Early Childhood Learning Communities appointment ceremony at National Gallery on April 22.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
This practice is currently not mandated for all pre-schools in Singapore.
In a parliamentary reply in April, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said ECDA does not have data on the average daily non-contact time for educators in pre-schools.
Pre-school teachers are constantly on their toes throughout the day to ensure the children’s safety and development, so such a practice would benefit their well-being, said Ms Nirmala Thevi Vijayarengan, centre leader of PCF Sparkletots @ Ulu Pandan Block 24.
PCF Sparkletots Preschool chief operating officer Marini Khamis said they have been progressively implementing non-contact time, and it has been more “consistently structured” since 2025.
Ms Khamis said: “By enabling key tasks to be completed within working hours, this reduces the need for after-hours work and allows educators to focus more purposefully on their interactions with children.”
At Shaws Preschool Group, teachers get at least two hours’ non-contact time two to three times per week, said Ms Imeelia Ismail, head of schools at the private pre-school.
Teachers take turns to look after classes during non-contact time, though this may be challenging to arrange when staff go on leave or fall ill, said Ms Imeelia.
But she said the school still tries as much as possible to ensure the teachers’ non-contact time, noting: “A lot of quality work that educators put in happens behind the scenes.”
Dr Lim, Ms Imeelia and Ms Nirmala are part of the ECLC, a programme where senior and lead educators share knowledge with their peers in different domains, such as language and literacy and outdoor learning.
Educators who join the two-year programme are known as Pedagogists and Specialists in Teaching and Learning, or PASTELs, and are nurtured as leaders in the field.
ECLC started in 2022 and has supported 145 PASTELs across its first two cycles.
At the ceremony on April 22, 110 participants were appointed for the third round, and two new domains – play-based learning and numeracy – were added.
Pre-school educators in Singapore are now a 28,000-strong workforce, having grown 20 per cent from 2021. During MSF’s budget debate, Mr Goh said the workforce will grow by another 3,500 educators by 2030 to meet sector needs, and that attracting and retaining quality educators remains a priority.
