Starting November 2027, all full-time pre-school teachers in Singapore will receive at least two hours of non-teaching time per week as part of efforts to improve working conditions and support the quality of early childhood education. This time, referred to as "non-contact time," allows educators to focus on tasks such as lesson planning, resource preparation, documenting child development, and collaborating with parents.
The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) announced the new requirement on October 13, during its annual Scholarships and Training Awards Presentation Ceremony at the Suntec Convention Centre. Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli highlighted that the change responds to feedback from educators who requested dedicated time to manage their responsibilities beyond the classroom.
“We have heard educators ask for dedicated time to carry out these responsibilities sustainably,” Masagos said. He emphasized that these duties are integral to delivering quality pre-school education and maintaining consistency across centres.
Currently, some pre-schools provide non-teaching time, but establishing a baseline ensures every educator benefits from protected time within their working hours. Centres will have flexibility in how they implement the requirement, and those able to offer more than two hours weekly are encouraged to do so.
A recent survey indicated that workload is the top factor affecting pre-school teachers’ well-being. With approximately 28,000 pre-school educators in service as of 2026, the move aims to alleviate some pressures by providing structured time for essential non-classroom tasks. The government has invested over S$75 million in the past five years to enhance working conditions and support professional growth through scholarships, training awards, and development programmes.
Educators like Latisah Salimen, an infant-toddler teacher at Iyad Perdaus Jurong East, welcome the change. Currently allotted one hour of non-contact time mostly during children’s nap times, Latisah uses it to prepare learning materials, document children’s progress, and organise her workflow. She views the additional hour as an opportunity to better manage administrative duties and have a mental break during the workday.
Although Latisah acknowledged challenges in consistently providing two hours of non-contact time due to staffing constraints, she believes careful rostering can make it feasible.
Similarly, Bright Kids School House director Keefe Wayne Teo noted that his centres, which operate across five locations with around 80 educators, already offer between one and two hours of non-teaching time weekly. Full-time teachers typically work 8½ to 9 hours daily, totaling about 44 hours a week. Teo said his centres will implement stricter rostering and monitoring to comply with the new minimum requirement.
However, he cautioned that manpower shortages might occasionally arise, such as during maternity leave or when classrooms include children with higher needs requiring more staff under ECDA’s teacher-pupil ratio regulations. To address these issues, Bright Kids is exploring partnerships with external specialists to support children with special education needs, aiming to free educators’ time for other responsibilities.
The non-teaching time policy seeks to create a more sustainable work environment for pre-school teachers while reinforcing a consistent framework for delivering quality early childhood education across Singapore.