Study on Effectiveness of CONNECT Plan in Retaining Teachers

23 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry has studied the effectiveness of CONNECT Plan in retaining teachers; (b) if so, what are the findings of such studies; and (c) if no such studies have been done, why does the Ministry continue to implement the CONNECT Plan.

Mr Chan Chun Sing: The CONNECT Plan is a 30-year retention plan, with MOE depositing a certain quantum for every teacher each year, depending on his or her length of service. Payouts, comprising a portion of the accumulated amount, will be given every three to five years while the teacher remains in service.

The CONNECT Plan is just one of MOE's strategies to attract and retain good teachers, along with other strategies, such as paying competitive salaries and providing opportunities for professional growth.

While we cannot isolate the effectiveness of each individual strategy, we have been able to keep the average annual resignation rate of teachers low and stable at around 2% over the past several years, which is lower than other staff groups in the Civil Service. We also know from staff engagements with our teachers that they appreciate the CONNECT Plan and it is also helpful in our recruitment of teachers.