Non-Singaporean Tamil Language Teachers Employed in Schools and Language Centres

Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry has data on how many non-Singaporean Tamil Language (TL) teachers are currently employed in schools and TL centres; and (b) whether schools will consider hiring more non-Singaporean TL teachers from abroad, given the limited availability of TL teachers.

As of December 2022, the Ministry of Education (MOE) employed 24 Tamil Language teachers who are Work Pass holders.

MOE’s focus is on recruiting suitable individuals with the right disposition and competencies to teach, with a priority on hiring local teachers. However, for certain teaching subjects, including for Tamil Language, we do recruit foreign teachers, given the limited availability of local applicants. When doing so, we carefully select those with good track record and experience, and who demonstrate potential to assimilate into our local cultural context.