Rethink non-teaching demands of educators

The ongoing discourse on education, including the article, “Singapore should not be Finland” (July 9), addresses the need to rethink or realign our education model. I believe that we can fine-tune our model without requiring drastic policy changes.

For example, our teachers should focus only on pedagogy and be exempt from being involved in co-curricular activities (CCA) or projects. CCA and project management specialists should be hired to relieve teachers of these duties and school operations.

Most of my friends who teach have multiple roles: Heading CCAs and working on extra projects, on top of teaching and marking. These non-teaching demands may affect the morale of even seasoned teachers and lower the teaching quality. Some teachers may quit after their bonds end.

Undoubtedly, teachers now have better pay and resources, but they also have more challenging duties due to the current emphasis on student-centred learning. The Education Ministry should, therefore, rigorously consider how to better retain teachers.

I see this as the key component of our education discourse.