Provision of Professional Development Leave for Teachers Ranked Lower in Performance Management System

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry will allow professional development leave for those with C-minus and lower performance grades under the performance management system of stacked ranking for teachers; and (b) if not, why not.

All teachers have access to a range of professional development opportunities, such as in-service courses, which are curated to help teachers deepen their content mastery and pedagogy.

Teachers with C-minus grade and lower are weaker-performing teachers who should focus on improving their performance on the job. They can attend the relevant in-service courses to improve their competencies. They would also benefit from closer guidance from their supervisors to work on their areas of improvements.

As Professional Development Leave is, typically, for the pursuit of undergraduate or postgraduate studies, or professional development activities requiring longer periods of absence, such as academic research, it is not typically extended to weaker-performing teachers. Nevertheless, the Ministry is prepared to allow teachers with C-minus performance grade to go on no-pay Professional Development Leave if the professional development activity is relevant and useful for them.