I was a relief form teacher in a primary school for only six months, covering a teacher on maternity leave.
With teaching, lesson preparation, preparing exam papers, marking, and writing student report cards, I was convinced not to enter the profession full-time or otherwise.
There were times when I had no time for even toilet or meal breaks.
If this was the situation more than 25 years ago, the range of duties that a teacher has to cover now makes the teacher’s role even more daunting.
Ms Tushara gave important suggestions for changing the school education system. Just as there are now vice-principals to help in academic and administrative duties, the Ministry of Education should seriously consider “specialist tracks” for education officers to, for example, teach subjects, manage co-curricular activities, or counsel and discipline students.
School leaders also should not have to take students to perform at all sorts of community events.
Events and celebrations involving large-scale participation of students should be reduced, as teachers are inevitably called upon to train and chaperone students.
Last but not least, the bell-curve ranking system for education officers can be demoralising. A former principal did not feel it was right to place any of her hardworking teachers into the last grade. Her solution – share her own bonus payment with these colleagues.
Chan Wai Han
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