Maternity Leave for Teachers During School Holiday

Ms Rahayu Mahzam asked the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will review the policy on maternity leave for female teachers who give birth during the school holiday period, given that they lose out on the number of leave days as the school holiday period is akin to their annual leave.

Maternity leave granted by the Ministry of Education is in accordance with the Civil Service guidelines and the Child Development Co-Savings Act. This means the first eight weeks of the maternity leave are paid leave, can commence either during the four weeks immediately before the date of confinement, or immediately after confinement. They are also to be taken in a continuous stretch so that a female employee has time to recuperate and bond with her newborn child. The subsequent eight weeks of the maternity leave can be taken flexibly over a 12- month period from the birth of the child, subject to mutual agreement between the female employee and her supervisor.

The nature of teachers' work is unique in the Civil Service. Teachers in schools are on a fixed cycle of work schedule. They work very hard during the school terms and can often slow down the pace and take a breather during the school holidays, which is about 12 weeks in a year and longer than leave entitlements for other civil servants.

To foster family-friendly workplaces, the Civil Service also provides pro-family options, such as part-time employment, for officers to look after young children, and leave provisions, such as childcare leave, unpaid infant care leave and no-pay leave for childcare. These measures will support parenthood.