Class sizes matter as teaching workload changes, say Singapore teachers

SINGAPORE – Even the best teachers struggle with large classes, a sentiment echoed by primary and secondary school teachers The Straits Times spoke to.

With

Singapore’s plans to hire more than

1,000 teachers annually over the next few years,

teachers say they hope the added manpower will eventually result in smaller class sizes.

Average class sizes grew slightly from 2023 to 2024, based on the latest figures. In primary schools, the average class size rose from 33.6 to 33.8. In secondary schools, it increased from 32.6 to 32.9, and in junior colleges, from 23.1 to 23.2.

The pupil-to-teacher ratio in primary schools was 15.6 in 2024, up from 14.5 in 2020. In secondary schools, the student-to-teacher ratio increased from 11.9 to 12.7 over the same period.

The number of teachers fell from 30,396 in 2023 to 29,605 in 2024, even as the student cohort continued to shrink. Primary 1 enrolment, for example, dropped from 39,372 to 37,785 over the same period.

Six teachers, who spoke to ST on the condition of anonymity, weighed in on a recent discussion on class sizes after a social media post by a former teacher was widely shared online in November 2025.

Ms Jo Ann Kuek, a secondary school teacher for seven years, shared her views on teacher workloads and the challenges of managing large class sizes after the topic was raised in Parliament in November.

In her Instagram post, she said that at any point in time, she typically taught between four and seven classes, each with up to 43 students.

“I can say unequivocally that class size matters,” she wrote, adding that the research which the Ministry of Education (MOE) cites to defend its stance on maintaining class sizes does not reflect local classroom realities.

With teacher workloads comprising teaching, lesson preparation as well as extracurricular and holistic development tasks, marking hundreds of scripts from large classes “is not sustainable”, she said.

Ms Kuek declined to comment further when ST contacted her.

MOE has long maintained the stance that Singapore’s student-to-teacher ratio is healthy and comparable with those in the US, UK, Germany, South Korea and Japan.

It says that this allows teachers to focus on teaching and key activities, such as preparing for lessons and professional development.

Issues with larger classes

Teachers here acknowledge the manpower constraints that have resulted in larger class sizes.

While the class sizes could be reduced by increasing teaching hours or hiring more teachers, MOE has said that both options come with significant trade-offs.

Former education minister Chan Chun Sing also said in March 2025 that doubling the teaching force to halve class sizes would affect teacher quality and classroom learning.

He added that independent studies by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development showed that other factors matter more than class size in determining teaching and learning quality.

When asked to choose between smaller classes with more teaching periods, and larger classes with fewer lessons, teachers said they would opt for the latter.

“Regardless of class size, our workload outside the classroom remains the same. So, time outside of lessons is precious to get other stuff done.

“I would not sacrifice it,” said a secondary school science teacher with more than 10 years of experience.

Her class sizes usually range from 35 to 40 students.

At first, the challenges of large class sizes were not obvious, she said, but over time, she noticed the growing presence of students with diverse needs such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism.

“When the class size gets bigger, the frequency of students who need a little bit more time and guidance in class gets higher. Trying to help them individually is a distraction for the rest, and disrupts their learning,” she said.

Another secondary school teacher, who has been teaching English for more than 15 years, said: “No two students are the same. Individual feedback is thus very important, but this is difficult to do in large classes.”

This results in his having to meet students after lessons.

He has taught larger classes with more than 30 students, and smaller classes of no more than 20 students – usually at the graduating level.

A humanities teacher with more than 35 years of experience said his classes typically have 35 to 42 students each, though some elective subject classes are smaller, with 15 to 30 students.

He said that large classes often result in a lecture style of teaching, making it difficult to engage students individually.

“Education is still a social endeavour where students have to come together to learn... but in large classes, most of the time, it is just about completing the syllabus and trying to make sure things get done,” he added, calling it an efficiency-driven process.

With most humanities subjects being taught only twice a week, he said, maintaining personal connections with students in large classes is an even greater challenge.

What is an ideal classroom size?

Almost all the teachers ST spoke to said the ideal class size is 25 to 30 students, though one suggested 20 to 25.

An English language and mathematics teacher who has been teaching in secondary schools for 13 years said she usually handles classes of about 35 to 38 students.

In 2025, she was finally assigned a class of fewer than 20 students.

“It was fantastic. There was more meaningful discussion than in my usual class of about 35 students. Every voice was heard,” she said.

A primary school teacher who has been in service for almost 15 years said the changing profile of students calls for smaller classes to enable more effective teaching and learning.

Even experienced teachers struggle with newer batches of pupils, she noted.

“Kids these days are the digital natives who grew up with devices. They get bored easily and their attention span is short. So, we need to find ways to keep them engaged,” she said.

Mr Manogaran Suppiah, a former principal and educator with a teaching career spanning more than 40 years, said the nature of teaching has changed and expanded.

Apart from subject teaching, teachers today are responsible for many other aspects, including mental health support, diverse learning needs, parental expectations, digital learning and pastoral care.

“Given this reality, the planning norms for class sizes are beginning to change. The traditional class size of 40 is also going through a transition,” he added.

However, any ideal class size may not be evenly implemented across schools owing to their different student profiles, especially in secondary schools which have different PSLE cut-off points for entry.

“High-performing students also have needs, and they may be different from students who need more learning support in the classroom,” said Mr Manogaran.

While the general perception is that a smaller class size means higher quality of learning, these classes must be supported by teachers who are trained to guide a smaller group of students.

“Teachers should change their pedagogy and learning approaches when they take on smaller classes and different student profiles. So, it is not only about smaller class sizes, but also suitable teaching methods,” Mr Manogaran said.

He believes that school-specific decisions on class sizes are more appropriate, as school leaders and teachers are better positioned to understand their students’ learning needs.

“It makes more sense to have different configurations within the school to help different groups of students. I think that is something to look at seriously,” he said.