35,000 teachers to get pay hike of 5%- 10% from Oct 1

About 35,000 teachers will get a pay hike of between 5 per cent and 10 per cent from Oct 1 as part of efforts to attract and retain talent.

The pay increase will also apply to about 1,600 allied educators and 800 pre-school teachers in Ministry of Education (MOE) kindergartens.

"This is to ensure that their overall salary packages remain competitive, and so that MOE can continue to attract and retain good educators," the ministry said yesterday.

Starting salaries for teachers currently range from $2,810 to $3,650. They were last reviewed in 2015.

MOE will also create a new grade from next year to enable teachers who do not hold key personnel appointments, such as subject head or senior teacher, to progress in their careers.

If such teachers are performing well and have hit the maximum salary point at the General Education Officer (GEO) 5 grade, they will be able to rise to a new GEO 5A grade and benefit from a higher salary ceiling.

Currently, teachers who do not hold key personnel positions typically continue as classroom teachers up to the GEO 5 grade, while those who do can be promoted to the Senior Education Officer (SEO) grades.

The new GEO 5A grade will be between the GEO 5 and SEO 1 grades.

Next year, MOE will also enhance a 30-year retention plan for teachers known as the Connect Plan, which started in 2002.

Under this scheme, MOE each year sets aside for each eligible teacher between $3,200 and $8,320 - the amount is pegged to the length of service. Teachers collect a payout every three to five years.

Yesterday, MOE said the sum deposited each year as well as the payout will go up over 30 years - translating into a 20 per cent increase.

Mr Mike Thiruman, general secretary of the Singapore Teachers' Union, welcomed the pay hike and changes to the career schemes.

He said a lot of feedback was given to MOE, especially about teachers who hit the ceiling of GEO 5 and are not in leadership positions.

"These are typically more mature teachers who have been in service for 15 or more years and who want to remain as classroom teachers."

Mr Thiruman said: "(The pay increase) is necessary but not sufficient - the real deal is how they're treated at the school level, the pressure of the workload, whether they have work-life balance."

The pay hike is also in line with the pay revision announced in June for civil servants, he added.

A 32-year-old junior college teacher said: "The salary rise is good - while it is not going to match the pay in the private sector, it narrows the gap at least. I don't think most teachers join for money, so this is a good gesture."

"The creation of GEO 5A is especially surprising and nice. It recognises that not all teachers want to take up appointments, but are still valued and can continue to progress on the salary scale."

A 40-year-old secondary school teacher, who has been teaching for 15 years, said: "We are in this line not for the money, so getting more is a bonus for us.

"It's very encouraging that we are being remembered... and the past two years have been tough for us."

Mr Patrick Tay, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, said the pay increments will help ensure teachers' remuneration remains competitive, but this alone is not enough.

"Other areas such as career progression, learning and development opportunities as well as the work environment - good supervisors, supportive colleagues and understanding parents of students - all play a part to attract and retain our educators."

More can be done for educators' mental well-being, including those who teach students with special needs and pre-schoolers, he said.