SINGAPORE: Teachers deserve respect as partners in a child’s education and should not be treated as service providers fulfilling parental demands, said Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing.
Speaking in an interview with CNA Digital in January, Mr Chan addressed the evolving expectations of teachers, noting that while most parents are cooperative and engaged, a minority overstep boundaries or make unreasonable demands.
“It is not a service-client mindset, where I expect this and you deliver it to me,” said Mr Chan, stressing that children spend more time with their families than at school. “As parents, we are all the first teachers of our children.”
The minister was speaking to CNA in an interview looking back at educational policies during the current term of government. In September 2024, he said MOE would protect teachers from “unreasonable expectations” and conduct that affect their well-being. For example, teachers should not be expected to respond to work-related messages outside school hours except in emergencies.
Parents who impose unreasonable demands on teachers are being unfair to other students and parents, because this deprives the teacher from spending quality time with the rest of their students, said Mr Chan in the interview.
MOE has implemented an escalation protocol for such cases – teachers and school leaders should first try to manage it because parents need to respect the school’s decisions, he added.
If parents are allowed to bypass the school’s authority and escalate cases to the minister, prime minister or the media, they will stop respecting the school, said Mr Chan.
To manage vexatious parents, MOE has dedicated teams in place. “Not every school is going to be equipped to handle lawyer letters, police reports and things like that,” he said.
Leaving the teacher to handle these cases is unfair and not good for their work-life balance or mental health, he added.
Mr Chan reassured teachers that MOE would back them up. Teachers may not be perfect, but he has faith and confidence in how they handle such cases, he said.
