Efforts in Place to Support Teachers' Well-Being and Workload

We thank Mr Lin Guohao for his feedback ("Enhance teacher remuneration and support system", Oct 20).

The Ministry of Education (MOE) values our teachers and the key role they play in stewarding young lives. The OECD's Teaching and Learning International Survey 2024 finding that 87 per cent of Singapore teachers reported high levels of job satisfaction is encouraging, and we will continue our efforts to support our educators.

MOE regularly reviews teachers' salaries to ensure that their overall pay package remains market competitive and reflects the important work they do. The most recent review was in October 2022, when teachers' salaries were raised by 5 to 10 per cent. The overall deposits and payouts for CONNECT Plan, a 30-year retention plan for teachers, were also increased by about 20 per cent in 2023 to recognise our teachers' continued commitment to nurturing our young.

Teachers go the extra mile for our students, and it is important for us to care for their well-being. To help teachers with their workload and better support them, some steps taken include strengthening school administration teams, and introducing AI and other digital tools to streamline administrative work. To support our teachers' well-being, there are structures and programmes including resources and workshops aimed at enhancing wellness, as well as access to professional counsellors. Our teachers value our sense of community. They tap on our fraternity for support, and can also share concerns with their supervisors, mentors, wellness ambassadors, and staff well-being champions in their schools. We will continue to look at ways to support our teachers better.

On the recruitment process, MOE evaluates teaching applicants holistically based on their subject proficiency, attributes, communication skills, and job fit to ensure that our teachers care for their students and possess the necessary competencies to thrive in our diverse educational environment. This process has been streamlined where possible, to ensure its efficiency while we continue to maintain a high-quality teaching workforce.

MOE will continue to develop and strengthen the teaching profession, so that teaching remains an attractive and rewarding career choice in Singapore. We thank the community in partnering us to appreciate our teachers.

Ms Beatrice Chong
Deputy Director-General of Education (Professional Development)
Ministry of Education

教育部致力改善教师福祉

谨答复《联合早报·交流站》于10月20日刊登的林国豪读者投函《提升教师待遇与支持机制》：

我们感谢林先生的反馈。教育部珍视我们的教师以及他们在培育年轻生命方面所扮演的关键角色。经济合作与发展组织（OECD）2024年教与学国际调查发现，87%的新加坡教师自认工作满意度高。这令人鼓舞，我们会继续努力支持我们的教育工作者。

教育部定期检讨教师薪金，以确保他们的整体薪酬待遇在市场上保持竞争力，并反映他们所从事的重要工作。最近一次检讨是在2022年10月，当时教师薪金上调5%至10%。"敬业乐业计划"（CONNECT Plan）是一项为期30年的教师挽留计划，它的整体存款和派发金额在2023年增加约20%，以表彰我们的教师对培育年轻一代的持续投入。

教师为我们的学生付出额外努力，因此关注他们的福祉至关重要。为了帮助教师减轻工作量并更好地支持他们，我们所采取的一些措施包括加强学校行政团队，以及引入人工智能和其他数码工具以简化行政工作。为支持教师的福祉，我们设立包括资源和工作坊在内的架构和项目，旨在提升他们的身心健康，并提供专业辅导服务。我们的教师珍视团队凝聚力。他们借助同事的支持，也能向学校的主管、导师、健康大使和员工福祉倡导者表达他们的担忧。我们会继续探讨如何更好地支持我们的教师。

在招聘流程方面，教育部依据学科能力、特质、沟通技巧和工作契合度，对教学申请者全面评估，确保我们的教师关爱学生，并具备在多元教育环境中蓬勃发展所需的必要能力。招聘流程已尽可能简化，以确保效率，同时继续保持一支高素质的教学队伍。

教育部会继续发展和加强教学专业，使教学在新加坡仍然是一个有吸引力且有回报的职业选择。我们感谢社会各界与我们合作，共同肯定我们的教师。

张彩红
教育部副教育总司长（专业发展）