Number of Allied Educators in School System

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar asked the Minister for Education (a) what is the current average number of Allied Educators (AEDs) in each Primary and Secondary school; (b) what is the targeted number of AEDs for each Primary and Secondary school; and (c) how has the presence of AEDs in the classroom helped our teachers.

Three groups of officers comprise the Allied Educators (AED) family which complements the work of teachers to bring out the best in our students.

The first group is the School Counsellors, formerly known as Allied Educators (Counselling), who provide guidance and counselling services to students and are involved in designing programmes that meet students' socio-emotional learning needs.

The second group of AEDs specialises in Learning and Behavioural Support (LBS). They help teachers manage students with mild special educational needs, such as autism spectrum disorders, dyslexia and attention-deficit/hyper-activity disorder. Schools are resourced with School Counsellors and AED(LBS) according to their needs.

The third group of AEDs focuses on Teaching and Learning (T&L) and supports teachers both within and outside of the classroom. Under the guidance of teachers, they provide students with specific and differentiated learning and remediation support. In addition, they provide pastoral care for students and help conduct CCAs and other programmes that support the holistic development of students. Schools are staffed with AED(T&L)s based on their student enrolment.

Since the introduction of the AED Scheme in 2009, the number of AEDs across the three groups has grown from 600 in 2009 to more than 2,400 today. We have largely achieved our staffing targets, with an average of seven AEDs in each Primary and Secondary school.