SCHOOL PRINCIPALS (Duties)

Mr L. P. Rodrigo asked the Minister for Education (a) if he is aware that during the first five months of this year heads of schools have already been required to submit an unduly large number of returns to the Ministry; and why such a considerable number of returns have been called for; (b) whether he is also aware that certain heads of schools have been put in charge of defined areas and have been required to telephone all the schools in the area to secure any data for the Ministry as and when the Ministry calls for such data by telephone; and why such a system is necessary; and (c) whether an efficient system of data registration and maintenance can be devised so as to allow more time for heads of schools to devote their attention to improving the quality of teaching in their schools.

Dr Lee Chiaw Meng (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, I have been asked by my Minister to reply. During the first five months of this year, schools were requested to submit a total of 82 returns. This cannot by any stretch of the imagination be regarded as an unduly large number in view of the fact that my Ministry administers 593 schools with 19,160 teachers, 2,550 non-teaching staff and 530,000 students. The majority of the returns are of an annual recurrent nature, such as those relating to staff and student data for the purpose of compiling the Ministry's statistical bulletins, nominal rolls for the four streams for 15 school examinations at different levels - the Primary School Leaving Examination, the School Certificate, the Higher School Certificate, the Secondary Vocational School Certificate, the National Language Certificate examinations; returns in respect of bursaries, scholarships and training awards; and returns seeking the schools' proposals for special or recurrent expenditure for the preparation of the next year's budget estimates. Other circulars seeking information on an ad hoc basis are sent to schools only when strictly necessary. In all cases, information is sought from schools only when such information cannot be obtained from any other source.

With regard to the second part of the question, Sir, a system of relaying urgent messages or instructions to schools by telephone was first introduced during confrontation. Under this system, my Ministry would telephone a number of designated schools which would in turn relay the message to schools in their area. The aim of this system was to get the message through to all the schools as quickly as possible and to avoid overloading a few telephone lines. Now that confrontation is over and security is no longer a major problem, the system of relaying messages by telephone is only resorted to in emergencies, such as the evacuation of students when schools in certain areas are flooded.

In answer to the last part of the question, Sir, an efficient system of data registration and maintenance is being devised. All teachers have completed a pro forma in which their personal particulars, details of qualifications, teaching experience, service matters, extracurricular activities, community service, in-service courses attended, etc, are entered. These returns are currently being processed for computer programming so that essential information may be made available at short notice for the purpose of educational planning, and it is expected that the frequency of having to submit returns of this nature will diminish.

Mr L. P. Rodrigo (Serangoon Gardens): Mr Speaker, Sir, will the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education state that as and when this system of registration of data is set up, the number of returns that are sent out to the schools will be minimised?

Dr Lee Chiaw Meng: if we consider the types of returns we look for, by and large, the largest number of returns sent out related to examination divisions, of which no less than 31 were sent out during the first half of this year. These are unlikely to diminish because we still have to know who will be taking what examinations. But others of a recurrent nature pertaining to personal data will be minimised in the future.