Special Education Teacher Workforce Growth, Attrition Rates and Reasons, and Measures to Improve Workload Sustainability and Retention
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns an inquiry by Dr Charlene Chen regarding special education (SPED) teacher workforce growth relative to student enrolment, attrition rates and reasons, and measures to improve retention and workload sustainability. In response, Minister Desmond Lee stated that between 2021 and 2025, the SPED teacher workforce grew from about 1,600 to 1,900 alongside student enrolment increasing from 7,000 to 9,000 across five new schools, while the average resignation rate was 10% due to job changes, personal reasons, and family commitments. To support retention, the Ministry of Education (MOE) updated teacher salary guidelines in 2024, coordinated recruitment fairs, and provided a shared pool of relief teachers to cover leave and training. Professional capabilities are being strengthened through the introduction of the School Staff Developer role, Communities of Practice, and milestone leadership schemes such as the 2025 Leadership Development Programme. Additionally, MOE is reducing administrative burdens by onboarding SPED schools onto the Parents Gateway system, targeting half of all schools by the third quarter of 2027.
Transcript
40 Dr Charlene Chen asked the Minister for Education in view of the planned expansion in special education (SPED) school capacity (a) how has the SPED teacher workforce grown relative to student enrolment over the past five years; (b) what have been the annual teacher attrition rates over this period and the main reasons for attrition; and (c) what measures are being taken to improve workload sustainability and retention.
Mr Desmond Lee: Over the past five years (2021 to 2025), the special education (SPED) teacher workforce has grown from about 1,600 to 1,900, alongside student enrolment growth from about 7,000 to 9,000 with the addition of five more SPED schools. The average resignation rate over this five-year period is 10%, with the most commonly cited reasons being a desire to change job type, personal reasons and family commitments.
To support SPED capacity expansion sustainably and meaningfully, Ministry of Education (MOE) has been working with Social Service Agencies (SSAs) to improve remuneration, recruitment and professional development efforts, in order to grow the teacher workforce in tandem with the growth in student population.
One, MOE had updated salary guidelines for SPED teachers in 2024, after launching the SPED teacher career and competency frameworks and role profiles in 2020. MOE has worked with the SPED sector to adopt the recommended salary ranges and implement stronger performance-based remuneration.
Two, to augment manpower in schools, a shared pool of relief teachers has been made available to SPED schools who can step in when SPED teachers need to be away for training or leave.
Three, MOE has supported the sector with recruitment efforts by coordinating the SPED Teachers' Career Fair for SPED schools and facilitating the sector's participation in career fairs by universities.
In terms of professional development, MOE introduced the School Staff Developer role in SPED schools in 2024 to foster a culture of continual learning and promoting well-being.
Untrained and serving SPED teachers can access professional development opportunities via National Institute of Education and MOE-appointed trainers. Furthermore, MOE has partnered with various SPED schools to set up Communities of Practice (CoP) in areas such as Multiple Disabilities, Autism, and Intellectual Disability to deepen SPED teachers' expertise in these areas.
MOE has also worked with the SSAs and SPED schools to identify and nurture performing teachers with school leadership potential by sending them to attend milestone programmes, such as the Management and Leadership in Schools and the Teacher Leader Programme. The Leadership Development Programme was also rolled out in 2025 to grow the leadership bench in the SPED sector.
Most recently, to help reduce teachers' administrative burden, MOE has been onboarding SPED schools onto MOE's Parents Gateway system, so that they can provide information more readily to parents and caregivers of their students. Half of the schools are scheduled to be onboarded by the third quarter of 2027.