We Are OK With Extra Teaching Hours

The following article appeared in The Star today. 

TEACHERS' unions should not interfere with Chinese primary schools which are willing to teach Year One pupils beyond the hours set by the Education Ministry, said the United Chinese School Teachers Association (Jiao Zong).

Sin Chew Daily quoted Jiao Zong chairman Ong Chiow Chuen as saying that the National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) should not stop those willing to teach beyond the 23-hour limit per week because Chinese schools were different.

“Chinese primary school pupils need to learn three languages so the extra hours can help them master these.

“With the extra hours, Year One classes will finish at almost the same time as other forms so it will be more convenient for parents and school bus drivers to pick the children up,” he said.

He said the extra hours would not tire the pupils if the classes were interesting.

“Usually, the extra hours will be used to teach English or other subjects that they are weak in,” he said.

On Sunday, NUTP complained that some schools were forcing teachers to teach beyond the 23-hour limit per week.

Its secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng had said that 23 hours were sufficient for pupils at that level and that making children study longer hours would affect other aspects of their growth.

The dedicated teachers in our school fully support Jiao Zong in this issue. They do not mind having to teach our Year One students an extra 200 minutes weekly.

Kudos to Yuk Chai teachers