GOVERNMENT AND GOVERNMENT-AIDED SCHOOL TEACHERS (Teaching periods and free periods)

Mr Tay Boon Too asked the Minister for Education whether he is aware that many teachers, who do extra-curricular duties in Government and Government-aided schools, are given less teaching periods and have more free periods than teachers who do only teaching, and if he will look into the matter.

The Minister of State for Education (Inche A. Rahim Ishak) (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, I am aware that teachers who perform extra-curricular duties are given more free periods than other teachers wherever possible, and this is as it should be since extra-curricular duties entail a great deal of time both during and after school hours and can be more onerous than teaching in a class. To ensure an equitable distribution of the work load, it is therefore necessary to give more free periods to such teachers. This is the only way to implement successfully Government's policy of laying greater emphasis on pupils' participation in extra-curricular activities to produce a rugged and robust society.

Mr Tay Boon Too (Paya Lebar): (In Mandarin): Sir, is the Minister of State for Education aware that in some schools there are senior teachers in charge of administration who hand over the work load entrusted to them to other teachers, who are not senior administrative teachers, to carry out? Thus all these teachers will have to share their work. Therefore, the senior teachers in charge of administration enjoy free periods, whereas the other teachers do not enjoy.

Mr Speaker: The question does not strictly arise, but if you want to answer it, you may, Inche Rahim.

Inche Rahim Ishak: If the Member for Paya Lebar has specific complaints to make against any senior teacher for passing on his work load to others, the Ministry of Education will be very glad to receive them.