Teachers could focus on fewer duties beyond classroom teaching to address workload: Desmond Lee

SINGAPORE – Teachers could see changes to their workload, under plans the Ministry of Education (MOE) is studying to give them more time for teaching and interacting with students.

Education Minister Desmond Lee said on Sept 16 that the ministry is exploring letting teachers focus on two of three major responsibilities beyond classroom teaching. Many teachers currently contribute across three areas – form teacher duties, co-curricular activities (CCAs) and committee work.

“But many teachers have told us that switching constantly between different responsibilities takes not just time but also mental bandwidth,” he said at the annual Schools Work Plan Seminar at Singapore Expo.

Hence, MOE will study the possibility of allowing them to focus on two areas, taking into account schools’ needs and each teacher’s strengths and interests, he said in his address to around 1,900 school leaders and teachers.

“With less switching between responsibilities, teachers can invest a bit more of their bandwidth into stronger classroom practices and richer interactions with students,” said Lee.

The ministry will study how the changes work in combination in six schools before considering wider adoption.

The proposal is part of a broader pilot to strengthen students’ development and give teachers more time and space to teach, starting with six schools in January 2027, Lee said. These are St Anthony’s Canossian, Woodgrove and Zhangde primary schools, and Commonwealth, Deyi and Jurongville secondary schools.

Lee said teaching has grown more complex, with teachers juggling lessons, form classes, diverse student needs, counselling, CCAs, parent engagement, administrative tasks, committee work and professional development.

MOE will also explore drawing more on coaches, instructors, non-teaching staff and external partners to support CCAs and other student development programmes, including administrative duties.

Teachers will continue to play a key role in nurturing students, he said.

Lee outlined the ways the ministry has increased support. Over the past decade, it has doubled the number of allied educators in priority areas such as counselling and special educational needs from about 800 to 1,600 across schools.

Administrative staffing in each school has also increased by 50 per cent on average. Digital tools and simpler procurement processes have also helped reduce routine work.

The pilot from 2027 will also explore adapting existing school spaces to support different ways of learning, including movable or modular furniture and spaces for whole-class and small-group activities.

At Queenstown Secondary, flexible furniture and varied seating arrangements support different teaching approaches. Its library also has multiple zones for reading, independent study and group work.

Special education schools Rainbow Centre Admiral Hill and ACS (Academy) have classrooms that can be rearranged for small-group support or larger group activities.

These changes support a wider effort to make approaches such as inquiry-based learning – where students investigate questions and problems – and learning together more integral to everyday lessons.

MOE is revising its curriculum to emphasise these approaches, Lee said.

Strong subject and domain knowledge remains important, but students must also learn to bring together and apply what they know, tackle real-world, open-ended problems and take greater ownership of their learning, he added.

At Telok Kurau Primary, pupils applied science concepts to redesign an outdoor garden shed into a better learning environment. Working in teams, they collected and analysed data, weighed competing ideas and decided on a solution.

At Greendale Secondary, Sec 1 students used mathematics to solve Formula 1 racing challenges, testing claims and explaining their reasoning to one another.

“Let’s be clear: Strong subject knowledge will remain important. But our students must also learn to synthesise and apply that knowledge; tackle authentic, open-ended problems; and take greater ownership of their learning,” Lee said.

During recent study visits to China, Denmark and Finland, Lee said, he saw schools giving students more opportunities for hands-on tasks, collaboration and discovery.

“We will study these experiences carefully, consider what works for Singapore, and adapt useful approaches to our own context and needs,” he said.

MOE is also reviewing marking practices, including which forms of marking best support learning, how students can assess their own and one another’s work, and how technology can support feedback.

This aims to help students take greater ownership of their learning, Lee said.

The changes will take different forms in the six pilot schools.

For Woodgrove Primary, teachers will be able to take on two of three areas outside of teaching, depending on their strengths, preferences and the schools’ needs, said principal Adeline Ng.

For Deyi Secondary, every teacher will serve as a form teacher and also take on either a CCA or a committee portfolio, said principal Chow Weisi. He added that committees are being redesigned so that their workload is comparable to that for CCA. For instance, the student well-being and discipline committees are being merged.

Woodgrove Primary is also considering how teachers can work with student development staff across CCAs within a domain such as the performing arts, instead of working primarily within individual CCAs.

The approach provides opportunities for pupils to interact and learn together across CCAs, said Ng. For instance, those in the Malay dance and Chinese dance CCAs may gather for debrief sessions at the end of CCA days, and also hold celebrations together, she said. Working as a group helps to streamline and harmonise the workflows of teachers, she added, citing how they could order food for pupils across several CCAs.

Woodgrove Primary is also merging related committees, such as the green committee and the science subject committee, to cut duplication and create synergies.

It has also set up what it calls an “e-pedagogy sandbox” – a classroom with modular furniture and tech tools such as VR and multiple display stations – to support collaborative lessons in smaller groups.

To ease teachers’ workload, Deyi Secondary will engage student development officers to help co-manage CCAs and take on routine administrative tasks. These staff members provide administrative support for student development activities.

The school is also converting a classroom into a sustainability room – a space with VR, interactive boards and areas for group work for more dynamic lessons.

Chow said students will be split into groups to learn in different ways within the space, and develop into self-directed learners.