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

Many teachers contribute across three areas - form teacher duties, co-curricular activities (CCAs) and committee work.

ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

Published Sep 16, 2026, 03:30 PM

Updated Sep 16, 2026, 03:30 PM

Education Ministry plans to explore letting teachers focus on two of three duties—form teacher roles, CCAs, or committee work—to reduce workload and improve teaching quality.

A pilot starting in 2027 across six schools will test these changes, including flexible learning spaces and stronger support from non-teaching staff.

Curriculum updates will emphasise inquiry-based learning, collaboration, and real-world problem solving, helping students take ownership of their learning.

SINGAPORE - Teachers could see changes to their workload , under plans the Education Ministry 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 the 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 about 1,900 school leaders and teachers.

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

The ministry will study how the changes work together in the 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 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 School, flexible furniture and varied seating arrangements support different teaching approaches. Its library has multiple zones for reading, independent study and group work.

Special education schools Rainbow Centre Admiral Hill and ACS (Academy) also 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 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.

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 best support learning, how students can assess their own and one another’s work, and how technology can support feedback.

This hopes to help students take greater ownership of their learning, he said.

One of the six pilot schools, Woodgrove Primary, is considering how teachers can work with student development staff across three CCA domains - performing arts, sports, and uniformed groups and clubs - instead of working primarily within individual CCAs.

The approach also provides opportunities for students to interact and learn together across CCAs.

Ministry of Education

许多教师在三个方面做出贡献——班主任职责、课外活动（CCA）和委员会工作。

《海峡时报》摄影：郭志雄

发布于2026年9月16日下午3:30

更新于2026年9月16日下午3:30

教育部计划探索让教师专注于三项职责中的两项——担任教师角色、参与课外活动或委员会工作——以减轻工作量并提高教学质量。

一项将于 2027 年在六所学校启动的试点项目将测试这些变化，包括灵活的学习空间和非教学人员的更强有力的支持。

课程更新将强调探究式学习、协作和解决现实世界问题，帮助学生掌握学习主动权。

新加坡——根据教育部正在研究的计划，教师的工作量可能会发生变化，以便让他们有更多的时间进行教学和与学生互动。

教育部长李智陞于9月16日表示，教育部正在探讨让教师专注于课堂教学以外的三大主要职责中的两项。目前，许多教师身兼三职：班主任职责、课外活动和委员会工作。

“但许多教师告诉我们，不断在不同的职责之间切换不仅耗时，还耗费精力，”他在新加坡博览中心举行的年度学校工作计划研讨会上说。

因此，教育部将研究允许他们专注于两个领域的可能性，同时考虑到学校的需求以及每位教师的优势和兴趣。他在对约 1900 名学校领导和教师发表讲话时说道。

李说：“减少职责切换，教师可以将更多精力投入到更有效的课堂教学和更丰富的师生互动中。”

教育部将先研究这些改革措施在这六所学校的实施效果，然后再考虑是否扩大推广范围。

李表示，该提案是旨在加强学生发展并为教师提供更多教学时间和空间的更广泛试点项目的一部分，该项目将于 2027 年 1 月开始在六所学校试点。

这些小学包括圣安东尼卡诺西亚小学、伍德格罗夫小学和张德小学，以及联邦中学、德义中学和裕廊维尔中学。

李表示，教学变得越来越复杂，教师需要兼顾课程、班级管理、满足学生多样化的需求、辅导、课外活动、家长参与、行政任务、委员会工作和专业发展。

教育部还将探索更多地利用教练、指导员、非教学人员和外部合作伙伴来支持课外活动和其他学生发展计划，包括行政职责。

他表示，教师将继续在培养学生方面发挥关键作用。

李概述了教育部加大支持力度的措施。过去十年间，教育部将重点领域（例如心理咨询和特殊教育需求）的辅助教育人员数量增加了一倍，从各学校的约800人增加到1600人。

每所学校的行政人员平均也增加了50%。数字化工具和更简化的采购流程也有助于减少日常工作。

从 2027 年开始的试点项目还将探索如何改造现有的学校空间，以支持不同的学习方式，包括可移动或模块化的家具以及用于全班和小组活动的空间。

皇后镇中学采用灵活的家具和多样化的座位安排，以适应不同的教学方法。学校图书馆设有多个区域，分别用于阅读、自主学习和小组讨论。

特殊教育学校 Rainbow Centre Admiral Hill 和 ACS（学院）也有可以重新布置的教室，用于小组辅导或大型团体活动。

这些变化支持更广泛的努力，使探究式学习（学生探究问题和难题）和共同学习等方法更融入日常课程中。

李说，教育部正在修订课程，以强调这些方法。

扎实的学科知识固然重要，但学生也必须学会将所学知识融会贯通并加以运用，解决现实世界中开放性的问题，并对自己学习承担更大的责任。

在特洛古劳小学，学生们运用科学概念，将户外花园小屋改造成更佳的学习环境。他们分组合作，收集并分析数据，权衡各种方案，最终确定了解决方案。

在格林戴尔中学，初一学生运用数学知识解决一级方程式赛车挑战，检验各种说法并互相解释他们的理由。

李说：“首先要明确一点：扎实的学科知识仍然很重要。但我们的学生也必须学会综合运用这些知识；解决真实、开放性的问题；并对自己学习承担更大的责任。”

李说，在最近对中国、丹麦和芬兰的考察访问中，他看到学校为学生提供了更多实践任务、合作和探索的机会。

他说：“我们将认真研究这些经验，考虑哪些方法对新加坡有效，并将有用的方法调整到我们自身的实际情况和需求中。”

教育部也在审查评分方式，包括哪些形式最有利于学习、学生如何评价自己和他人的作业，以及如何利用技术来支持反馈。

他表示，此举有望帮助学生更好地掌控自己的学习。

六所试点学校之一的伍德格罗夫小学正在考虑教师如何与学生发展人员在三个课外活动领域（表演艺术、体育和制服团体及俱乐部）合作，而不是主要在各个课外活动小组内工作。

这种方法也为学生提供了跨课外活动小组互动和共同学习的机会。

教育部