Are Singapore teachers overworked?
Many people call it one of the most under-appreciated career
choices in Singapore today.
In a forum letter in The Straits Times on 15 May 2010,
a teacher’s wife, Ms Aishah Quek chronicles her husband’s typical
work day. She bemoans her husband’s punishing workload and
questions the seeming non-existence of a work-life balance.
A teacher in a local primary school, Ms Quek’s husband wakes up
at 5am every weekday, and leaves home by 6am, to reach school in
time for morning ‘guard duty’ at 7am. After remedial lessons,
co-curricular activities and administrative duties, her husband
reaches home at 8pm for dinner, before, surprise, surprise, he
starts to work from home.
If these normal working hours are representative of a typical
day in the life of a teacher, do teachers; the people who play an
integral role in shaping young, impressionable minds, have
sufficient time to relax and recharge, before the next day comes
around?
A student in the morning session has about 6 hours of lessons
per day (from 7.30am to 1pm). But that’s just about the time a
teacher’s after-teaching hours begin.
“On a typical day, we mark assignments, conduct remedial lessons
and complete many administrative tasks, which often extend long
beyond our official working hours,” said John*, 35, a married
primary school teacher with a one-year-old son.
Another educator, Seline*, 27, who called it quits after three
years, said, “When my husband and I were both teaching, we hardly
had any quality time in the evenings because we’d both be busy
marking assignments, preparing for the next day’s lessons or just
be too tired.”
Added another teacher, Lionel*, “I already feel drained by
the time I start marking my students’ work after 5pm.
This increases the likelihood of making errors.”
KJ*, 23, a fresh graduate from the National Institute of
Education, knows that the teaching road ahead may not be an easy
one.
“I believe we just need to find a balance, set our priorities
and hope our senior colleagues will share tips with us on how best
to handle different situations,” she said.
My informal survey revealed that most teachers joined the
profession to pursue their passion to equip the young with
knowledge, and invaluable life skills. However, teachers today are
feeling the strain.
Are our teachers overworked? How do you think the Ministry of
Education can help teachers have a better work-life
balance?
*Names have been changed to protect the teachers’
identity.