Teachers' Non-response to Queries Outside of Office Hours

2 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Education whether teachers who do not respond or are not able to respond to students, parents, or colleagues outside of office hours will be penalised during their appraisal.

The Minister for Education (Mr Chan Chun Sing): Mr Speaker, Sir, the answer is no.

Mr Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Thank you, Sir, and I thank the Minister for that reply. Could I then ask what can teachers do if a students and parents continue to contact them after office hours?

Mr Chan Chun Sing: Mr Speaker, Sir, there is an established process in the Ministry of Education (MOE) on when students can contact teachers and when parents can contact teachers. We appreciate everybody to abide by the rules to respect the time for our teachers.

Of course, as in any organisation, there will be exigencies of service. What are some of these exigences of service? I have shared with this House previously. For example, in a particular high-needs school, if a child has been thrown out of the house in the middle of the night and he calls his teacher, I am very sure his teacher will respond.

But on the other hand as I have shared in this House, we also hope that parents or students will not call their teachers after office hours for minor trivial things which they can otherwise handle themselves.