PROMOTION EXERCISE FOR TEACHERS (Unhappiness over evaluation of teachers' performances)

Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for Education whether he is aware that there is unhappiness over the evaluation of teachers' performances in the recent promotion exercise and what he proposes to do about it.

The Senior Minister of State for Education (Dr Aline K. Wong) (for the Minister for Education): Sir, the promotion exercises this year were mainly for classroom teachers. The evaluation and recommendation of teachers for promotion was done by panels in schools comprising the Principal, Vice-Principal and Heads of Department. Every teacher eligible for promotion was considered.

In the two exercises carried out, about 7,500 teachers were promoted, the largest ever in the Education Service. The system to evaluate and recommend teachers for promotion is a fair and rigorous one, relying closely on the intimate knowledge of school supervisors serving on the panels. I am satisfied that teachers have been given fair consideration with regard to their promotion. In every promotion exercise, there will be a number who are unhappy at not being promoted. However, not all teachers can be promoted during this year's exercises given the large number of officers in the service. Teachers who were not promoted to the GEO IA and IIA grades this year will be eligible for consideration in next year's exercise.

Teachers who are in any way aggrieved have an avenue of appeal. These appeals will be considered by the Personnel Boards and finally, where necessary, by the Education Service Commission. There are therefore adequate safeguards provided within the system.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, how often was the evaluation system of teachers in this promotion exercise done and were the teachers who were being assessed called up to explain to them why they were assessed in such a way and why certain points were given?

Dr Aline Wong: It is certainly good management practicein any organisation, including schools, for the supervisors or the directors responsible to explain to the teachers the way the teachers' performance has been evaluated. The criteria for promotion include various factors, eg, length of service, performance, potential, and so forth. But as with every management or organisation, it is a matter of management style to explain these things to the teachers.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, my question is whether or not the teachers who were being assessed were called up to explain to them why they were assessed in such a way. Was it practised by either the Head of Department (HOD) or the panel of assessors which was formed for the exercise?

Dr Aline Wong: As I have explained, I think the practice varies from school to school.

Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir): The Minister said that 7,500 teachers were promoted in the last exercise. Were they promoted in the first batch or second batch of the exercise?

Dr Aline Wong: In February this year, about 2,500 were promoted. In October this year, about 5,000 were promoted.

Mr Chiam See Tong: I understand that the first batch was mainly for Principals and Vice-Principals, and not for teachers.

Dr Aline Wong: This is correct because priority was given then to officers who are in leadership positions. The second exercise dealt mainly with the classroom teachers.

Mr Chiam See Tong: In actuality, there were 5,000 teachers who were promoted, and not 7,500.

Dr Aline Wong: This is not the case. During the February exercise, about 830 teachers were also promoted.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: The Minister of State said just now that the practice varies from school to school. So could I take it that some schools called up the teachers who were being assessed to explain to them why they were assessed in such a way?

Dr Aline Wong: I cannot give an exact answer on this. But I can find out.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, is it the Ministry's guideline in the evaluation of teachers to call up the teachers who were being assessed, or was it left totally to the HOD or the school concerned as to how and in what way they would like to assess the teachers? Is there a clear guideline?

Dr Aline Wong: I believe some guidelines exist.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Was the guideline adhered to?

Dr Aline Wong: As I said, I cannot give a clear answer on this. But I can find out.

Mr Chiam See Tong: At these promotion exercises, what are the benefits they would get if they were promoted? Are the benefits given in terms of ranking or pay increases? If so, how much?

Dr Aline Wong: These promotion exercises, including the February exercise, pertain to promotion to the newly-created grades of GEO IA and IIA positions which did not exist before. So this involves salary increases as well as promotion in rank. What is the other question?

Mr Chiam See Tong: I just want to know what is the percentage of pay increases based on their current pay.

Dr Aline Wong: It does not work like this. Teachers can be promoted to GEO IA or IIA, whether or not they have already reached the maximum point on their existing scale. So the promotion can be a big jump for some teachers or it can be a smaller jump for others.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, was there a quota system in this promotion exercise, so that each school was only allowed to promote a certain number of teachers?

Dr Aline Wong: I would not call it a quota system. As Members know, this exercise involved some 19,000 officers. All the officers in each school were ranked according to a list of criteria. You go down the list according to priority, but you must stop somewhere. There were a certain number of promotion places for each school according to the proportion of the teachers who were eligible for promotion in each school. There had to be a cut-off point for every school.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Since there was ranking, was it also the guideline of the Ministry that a school could also distribute the ranking positions based on individual departments?

Dr Aline Wong: I am not aware of such detailed guidelines. I think it was based on the general ranking of the teachers, taking into consideration all the criteria and not necessarily by departments.

Mr Low Thia Khiang: Who decided on this ranking and what were the criteria? Were the criteria on how they were being ranked made known to the teachers of the schools concerned? Thirdly, were these teachers informed of their ranking and why they were ranked in that manner?

Dr Aline Wong: I think all teachers know that they were being evaluated by the supervisors, who are the principals, the principals and the heads of department. The teachers would know that they were being evaluated according to their performance, including the length of service and so on. These criteria are commonly accepted.

On the Member's question on whether the school informed each and every teacher of the position of their ranking, I do not know the exact answer.

Dr Wang Kai Yuen (Bukit Timah): Sir, how does the Ministry of Education ensure that the promotion exercise is fair and equitable across all schools?

Dr Aline Wong: I think Members of the House should look at the promotion exercise in perspective. In the last two exercises, as I said, 19,000 teachers were involved, and 26% were promoted in the October exercise alone. And if they did not get promoted this time, they would again be considered next year.