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

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 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 School 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 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, Lee 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 hopes to help students take greater ownership of their learning, he 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 and the schools’ needs, principal Adeline Ng said.

For Deyi Secondary, one of the two responsibilities teachers will take on will be form teacher duties, said principal Chow Weisi.

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.