Singapore to introduce two non-teaching hours for preschool educators — Channel NewsAsia

In Singapore, certified full-time preschool educators will have at least two hours per week without teaching and supervising children from November 2027. This time must be allocated within working hours at all centres licensed by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), Channel NewsAsia reports.

Time for preparation and work with parents

Time without direct work with children is intended for carrying out professional duties beyond teaching, care and supervision. In particular, educators will be able to plan lessons, document children’s development, prepare educational materials, and interact with parents and community partners.

The new requirement was announced on October 13 by Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli during ECDA’s annual learning scholarships and awards ceremony. According to him, protected time should give educators more opportunities to prepare and reflect on their practice, which should ultimately improve the quality of preschool education.

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Flexible schedule for centres

Preschools will be able to determine the schedule independently: providing this time daily, weekly, once every two weeks or monthly. At the same time, it must be provided regularly, in blocks of at least one hour, and must not extend employees’ working day.

Two hours are a minimum standard, not an upper limit. ECDA urged operators that already provide more such time, or are able to do so, to continue this practice. The minimum was determined after consultations with educators and preschool operators.

According to the agency, the early childhood sector employs around 28,000 educators across 1,800 preschools. The new standard will be added to the Code of Practice for Early Childhood Development Centres, and operators will have about a year to review work arrangements and implement the necessary changes.