Long-term Support and Compensation Available for Teachers Injured or Disabled during Classroom Incidents
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms Sylvia Lim’s inquiry regarding the compensation and long-term support available to teachers injured or disabled while managing classroom incidents. Minister Desmond Lee explained that teachers may opt for coverage under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) or Civil Service work injury provisions for medical expenses. Regardless of the choice, teachers are eligible for up to one year of additional paid injury leave and may utilize yearly medical leave and benefits thereafter. For permanent incapacity, lump sum compensation under WICA has been revised to range from $116,000 to $346,000 for total incapacity occurring on or after 1 November 2025. Claims for partial permanent incapacity are prorated based on income and age, with yearly medical benefits available for long-term treatments exceeding WICA limits.
Transcript
62 Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Education what is the extent of Government support or coverage which is made available to compensate teachers who suffer from long-term injuries or disability in the course of managing student incidents in the classroom.
Mr Desmond Lee: We care for our teachers. In the unfortunate event that teachers are injured in the course of their work, they can decide whether to be covered under (a) the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA); or (b) the Civil Service's work injury provisions, which provides coverage for work injury-related medical expenses in public medical institutions for as long as they remain in service. For those who choose to be covered under WICA for work-injury related medical expenses, if they have longer-term treatments beyond the WICA claim limits or duration, they can utilise their yearly medical benefits to cover these expenses.
Regardless of whether teachers choose to cover their medical expenses under WICA or the Civil Service's work injury provisions, they will be eligible for additional paid injury leave up to one year from the incident as provided for under WICA. Beyond this, they can utilise their yearly medical leave entitlement to cover any further work absence arising from the injury. In addition, in the event of permanent incapacity from the work injury, teachers can claim for lump sum compensation under WICA. The compensation limits for total permanent incapacity, that is, 100%, have been revised to range from $116,000 to $346,000 for accidents occurring on or after 1 November 2025. If there is partial permanent incapacity, that is, less than 100%, the actual compensation will be prorated based on the income and age of the teacher.