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1. Based on the findings of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2024, Singapore teachers have been quick to adopt digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to teach their students more effectively. They have benefited from strong pre-service teacher preparation and continual professional development throughout their careers. Our teachers also felt valued by society, and view teaching as an attractive first-choice career option.

2. Coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), TALIS examines key aspects of the teaching profession to help countries review their policies for developing a high-quality teaching profession. TALIS 2024 is the fourth cycle of the study since its inception in 2008, and the first large-scale international survey that studies teachers' adoption of AI in teaching and learning, as well as online and hybrid teaching approaches, reflecting the changing teaching and learning landscape. A total of 55 education systems participated in TALIS 2024. Besides TALIS 2024, Singapore participated in the previous two TALIS in 2013 and 2018¹.

KEY FINDINGS

Singapore Teachers Are Responsive to Adopting Digital Technologies to Enhance Teaching and Learning.

3. Singapore teachers showed one of the highest adoption rates for online and hybrid teaching. 81% of them work in schools that conducted online or hybrid modes of lessons in the month prior to the survey (OECD average: 16%). While it was the COVID-19 pandemic that required teachers to quickly adapt to home-based learning, our teachers have since integrated digital tools in their teaching practices to help students become more independent and self-directed learners.

4. Singapore teachers have also become among the world's most active users of AI in education. 75% reported using AI to teach or facilitate student learning (OECD average: 36%). They also believe that AI can benefit teaching and learning. For example, 82% of them agreed that the use of AI helps teachers in formulating or improving their lesson plans (OECD average: 53%), and 74% agreed that AI helps them automate administrative tasks (OECD average: 45%).

5. The ability of Singapore teachers to embrace technological changes in the education landscape is supported by the Ministry of Education's (MOE) efforts to develop the platforms and skills for teachers to use digital technology effectively. 76% of Singapore teachers reported having participated in professional development on using AI for teaching and learning (OECD average: 38%). MOE will continue to support teachers to develop the competencies to innovate their pedagogical practice and to harness technology to enhance student learning.

Singapore Teachers Are Well Supported in Their Professional Growth Throughout Their Careers.

6. Singapore teachers also showed strong professional growth throughout their careers, starting from the foundation they received during pre-service teacher preparation. 88% of recent teaching graduates in Singapore rated the overall quality of their first teaching qualification highly (OECD average: 75%). Our teachers also participate more actively than their OECD peers in diverse professional development activities, such as in the areas of curriculum knowledge, digital tools, and supporting students' social and emotional needs.

7. Singapore teachers also benefit greatly from the professional guidance provided by their colleagues. 87% of teachers reported positive changes in their pedagogical competencies in teaching subjects, based on the feedback they received in the 12 months prior to the survey (OECD average: 71%). In addition, 42% of novice teachers² reported having an assigned mentor to guide them (OECD average: 26%), and all of them work in schools that offer mentoring programmes (OECD average: 81%).

8. MOE remains committed to investing in the effective professional development ecosystem that supports our teachers' growth throughout their careers, so that we can continue to have a high-quality teaching force that best supports the evolving needs of our students.

The Proportion of Singapore Teachers Who Reported an Intention to Leave Teaching Has Remained Stable Relative to 2018.

9. Similar to the global average, 29% of Singapore teachers reported an intention to leave teaching, with the percentage remaining stable since 2018 (OECD average: 27%; Singapore 2018: 30%). The primary reasons for leaving are personal or family matters (Singapore: 71%, OECD average: 44%), interest in pursuing further education (Singapore: 50%, OECD average: 27%), and moving to a non-teaching position within education (Singapore: 46%; OECD average: 32%). This highlights our teachers' desire for lifelong learning, and the availability of alternative opportunities within education beyond classroom teaching (e.g. postings to the MOE Headquarters or appointments as school leaders).

10. A high proportion of Singapore teachers reported being satisfied with their jobs (Singapore: 87%, OECD average: 89%) and enjoy working at their current schools (Singapore: 88%, OECD average: 90%). MOE will continue to work on initiatives to enhance the long-term attractiveness of the teaching profession.

Singapore Teachers Reported Longer Working Hours Per Week Than Their OECD Peers, but the Hours Are Similar as 2018.

11. Singapore teachers reported working an average of 47 hours per week (Singapore 2018: 46 hours, OECD average: 41 hours). Similar to 2018, they spend less time than their international peers on classroom teaching (Singapore: 18 hours, OECD average: 23 hours). Compared to 2018, our teachers in 2024 reported spending more time on non-teaching tasks like lesson planning, student counselling (including education and career guidance), co-curricular activities, and communication with parents.

12. Singapore teachers also identified certain workload-related factors, such as administrative duties and marking, as their main sources of stress. Nonetheless, compared to 2018, our teachers reported spending less time on marking per week (2024: 6 hours; 2018: 7 hours), while time spent on general administrative work has remained the same (2024 and 2018: 4 hours).

13. MOE has been examining ways to lighten the workload of our teachers, including piloting a feature in Parents Gateway³ to allow parents to electronically submit their child's documents for absence, such as medical certificates. We have also laid out clearer guidelines to establish boundaries on after-hours communications between teachers and parents, and invested in automated marking features and AI assessment tools in the Singapore Student Learning Space (SLS) to ease our teachers' marking workload. MOE will continue to build on existing measures to help our teachers manage their workload and support their well-being.

Singapore Teachers Continue to Perceive Teaching as a Valued and Attractive Profession in Singapore.

14. Singapore teachers feel much more valued by society than their counterparts in other participating systems. 71% of Singapore teachers feel that the teaching profession is valued by society (OECD average: 22%). In addition, 57% of our teachers feel that policymakers value their views (OECD average: 16%), up 7 percentage-point since 2018. Similarly, 64% of them feel valued by the media (OECD average: 20%), a 6 percentage-point increase from 2018. The strong public standing of teachers is essential for attracting and retaining good teachers in our education system.

15. Teaching also remains the preferred career choice for Singapore teachers, with 75% indicating that teaching is their first-choice career (OECD average: 69%), and 79% of novice teachers feeling the same way (OECD average: 58%). Additionally, over 9 in 10 of our teachers expressed enjoyment in various aspects of their work, from the subjects they teach to the interesting challenges that teaching presents. MOE will continue with efforts to attract and recruit quality candidates who demonstrate a genuine passion for teaching to join the profession.

16. Reflecting on the TALIS 2024 findings, Director-General of Education, Ms Liew Wei Li said, "I commend our teachers' unwavering dedication to their profession and I am heartened by society's recognition of their crucial contributions. Our teachers have demonstrated remarkable adaptability in our evolving educational landscape, including capitalising on AI to enhance teaching and learning. This adaptability, coupled with their pedagogical expertise and care for students, will prepare our students well for future challenges and opportunities. While we celebrate our teachers' capability, MOE also recognises the unique pressures that our teachers face and remains committed to supporting them."

Footnotes

1. A representative sample of approximately 3,500 teachers and their respective school principals across all 145 public secondary schools and 10 randomly selected private secondary schools participated in the survey from April to August 2024.
2. ALIS defines novice teachers as teachers with up to five years of teaching experience. As Singapore schools typically assign mentors to teachers in the first two years of their teaching career, teachers in their third to fifth years in service would typically not have officially-assigned mentors.
3. Parents Gateway is a one-stop portal developed by MOE and GovTech, which strengthens school-home partnership to support children in their education journey.