Reports of Harmful Supervisory Conduct by School Leaders
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns reports of harmful supervisory conduct by school leaders and the safety of whistleblowing channels for teachers as raised by Dr Wan Rizal. Minister Desmond Lee highlighted various reporting avenues, including MOE’s "Let Us Listen" intranet platform and direct reports to Ministry leadership, while ensuring all information remains strictly confidential. He emphasized that staff reporting in good faith will not be penalised or face negative impacts on their appraisal, postings, and career progression. Reports involving school leaders have remained low over the past three years, with additional feedback gathered through voluntary and anonymous employee engagement surveys. MOE monitors these channels closely to take prompt action on concerns and continues to see strong staff participation in its feedback and engagement platforms.
Transcript
91 Dr Wan Rizal asked the Minister for Education (a) how many reports of harmful supervisory conduct by school leaders were received in the past three years; and (b) whether the Ministry has assessed if teachers feel safe using these channels without fear of impact on their appraisal or career progression.
Mr Desmond Lee: My response covers both questions raised by Dr Wan Rizal on channels available for teachers to report harmful conduct by school leaders. [Please refer to "Adequacy and Safety of Whistleblowing Channels for Teachers on School Leader Misconduct, Safeguards Against Repercussions and Reporting Data in Past Three Years", Official Report, 7 July 2026, Vol 96, Issue 32, Written Answers to Questions section.]
Staff have multiple channels to provide feedback, raise workplace concerns and report any harmful or wrongful practices, including those involving supervisors or school leaders. These channels include "Let Us Listen" on the Ministry of Education's (MOE's) Intranet; "Contact human resource (HR)" via MOE's HR Online portal; or direct reporting to MOE Headquarters, including to the Permanent Secretary or HR Director. Staff may also approach their supervisors, school leaders or unions.
MOE takes such reports seriously and information shared will remain strictly confidential. Officers who report in good faith will not be penalised, if the allegation is not substantiated after investigation. It will also not affect their appraisal, posting and career progression.
Over the past three years, the number of reports concerning school leaders has remained low. MOE regularly gathers staff feedback through engagement platforms, such as dialogue sessions and employee engagement surveys. These surveys are voluntary and anonymous, and we continue to see strong participation from staff. MOE closely monitors feedback from such channels and takes prompt action to address the concerns if needed.