Performance Management System and Measures Taken to Train School Leaders and Head of Departments on Principles of Fair and Objective Ranking

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Education with regard to the performance management system of stack ranking, what are the measures taken today to train school leaders and heads of departments on principles of fair and objective ranking.

Mr Lawrence Wong: Performance appraisal is a common performance management tool that enables us to assess the effectiveness of our staff, provide feedback on their performance and help them to be more effective in their work. It is important that our School Leaders and Key Personnel in schools are equipped with the skills to manage this process well so that they can continue to motivate our teachers to stay true to their calling as educators, recognise good officers and identify those who need more support.

As part of their leadership development, all our Key Personnel and School Leaders attend leadership milestone programmes at different stages of their leadership appointments. Examples of such programmes are the Leadership and Management Programme (LAMP), the Management and Leadership in Schools (MLS) and the Leaders in Education Programme (LEP). Performance management is a key component in all these leadership milestone programmes. Through these programmes, our School Leaders and Key Personnel learn about the performance management framework, the expected standards of performance, and the follow up actions to help officers improve.

In addition, the Cluster Superintendents provide close guidance to School Leaders in the performance management process. They are present at the annual school ranking sessions to advise on the performance management process and guidelines. The Ministry HR also regularly updates and engages all School Leaders on the key HR policies and issues which include performance management policies and good practices. We will continue to help our School Leaders and Key Personnel develop and strengthen their performance management skills.