PROMOTION EXERCISE IN EDUCATION SERVICE

Encik Harun bin A Ghani asked the Minister for Education how many second language teachers were promoted to Senior Education Officers I and II in the last promotion exercise and how many of them were promoted to Principal and Vice-Principal in primary and secondary schools.

The Minister of State for Education (Dr Aline K. Wong) (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, Education Officers holding leadership positions of Vice-Principal and Principal in schools or senior positions in the Headquarters are eligible for promotion to the Senior Education Officer grade. Last year, eight second language teachers holding senior positions in schools and MOE HQ were promoted to the grades of Senior Education Officers I and II.

In 1993, 24 Education Officers were appointed as Principals in primary and secondary schools and 51 were appointed as Vice-Principals. Three of them were former second language teachers.

Encik Harun bin A. Ghani: Sir, I would like to know how many of the CL2, ML2 and TL2 teachers were promoted to SEO I and II, as well as to Principals. As she mentioned just now, only three were promoted to Principals. Why were so few of them promoted to SEO I and II, as well as to Vice-Principal and Principal, compared to L1 teachers?

Dr Aline Wong: Mr Speaker, Sir, the eight former second language teachers who were promoted to the grades of Senior Education Officers I and II last year happened to be all Chinese language teachers. Among those who were promoted to Principals and Vice-Principals in secondary and primary schools, as I said, three of them were former second language teachers, and all of them also happened to be Chinese language teachers.

The promotion of Education Officers to senior positions or leadership positions in schools is based on merit, as is within our system of meritocracy. People who are eligible for consideration for promotion are assessed systematically and no regard is given to ethnicity or other attributes. So the question raised by the Member for Hong Kah GRC does not arise. Our promotions are fair. Consideration is based on objective criteria.

For his information, sometimes General Education Officers can be appointed as Principals and Vice-Principals. They hold such appointments and are paid a responsibility allowance. After being tested in these appointments for a number of years, they can be put up for promotion to the substantive grades of Principals and Vice-Principals.