SINGAPORE: The news that teachers will have to pay monthly season parking rates if they want to park their cars or motorcycles at their school car parks from Aug 1 this year has sparked a public outcry that is to say the least, heartening.
It shows that generally Singaporeans appreciate that our teachers are deserving of recognition and rewards for their hard work.
Many have taken to social media since the news was announced to make a case for free parking for teachers in return for the numerous sacrifices teachers make in their jobs every day.
But in doing so, are we missing the point?
Yes, teachers’ welfare needs to be looked into, but is free parking really the right way to do it?
THE CASE FOR PARKING CHARGES
The case for charging for parking on school premises needs to be considered too.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) said it was reviewing its car park policy for schools after the Audit-General’s Office (AGO) 2014/2015 Financial Year report noted that the Institute of Technical Education, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic did not impose charges or had charges that were below the market rate.
“Such practices are tantamount to providing hidden subsidies for vehicle parking and are not in line with the requirements laid down in the Government Instruction Manuals,” the AGO had said.
The charges are indeed in line with the Government’s “clean wage” policy.
MOE said that since then, it has been working with the Public Service Division and Ministry of Finance “to determine an appropriate treatment for staff parking in schools”.
“It has become increasingly clear that the current treatment of allowing school staff to park for free constitutes a taxable benefit, as the vast majority of school car parks are located near chargeable car parks and the car parks are intended for the use of staff and authorised visitors, with no access given to the general public,” the Education Ministry said.
Many have argued that if teachers are made to pay for parking, all other public sector organisation employees should too.
In fact, it is common for these organisations’ employees to do so already.
It was in 2005 that it was decided carpark benefits would not be offered by government agencies whether the carpark is owned by the ministry or a commercial organisation.
Now, it has been announced that from Sunday (Apr 1) season parking fees will apply at six military camps and bases for permanent staff.
This is addition to the 10 military premises that already levy such charges.
File photo of the entrance to MINDEF headquarters on Hillview Avenue. (Photo: Aqil Haziq Mahmud)
That netizens have raised issues of equitable treatment is also heartening.
Such policies should not only apply to one group of civil servants.
THE CASE AGAINST
However, many have pointed out that teachers deserve special consideration.
They work long hours beyond the standard working day, spending their time completing not just administrative work, but to help weaker students.
Others say many teachers often pay for additional classroom material they are not reimbursed for.
The questions we need to be asking should be centred on what can be done to directly address such welfare issues.
Free parking hardly addresses the core of the problems teachers face on a daily basis.
HIGHER DEMANDS ON TEACHERS
We would do better asking instead how teachers’ workloads be lightened further?
Why aren’t teachers reimbursed for additional classroom material or even for working over time?
Granted, many schools might already be addressing these issues.
But are these efforts sufficient?
Why are many still feeling overworked and underappreciated?
Secondary school students in a classroom in Singapore. (File photo: MOE)
In 2016, Minister of State for Education, Janil Puthucheary, in response to a series of parliamentary questions on the reasons for teachers leaving the service, said that workload is “not commonly cited”.
Instead, the main reasons for resignations range from family considerations like childcare, to a desire for a change of job, he said.
Yet, those who speak the loudest in informal chat sessions on the ground seem sceptical.
Are teachers themselves being honest about the real reasons the job might be wearing them down?
These issues should be discussed more openly with decision-makers and need to be addressed urgently.
Teachers’ work involves all of us. It doesn’t take a lot to recognise that what they do is crucial and has knock-on impact not just on education, but on the economy, and society as a whole.
PARENTAL DEMANDS
Most of us recognise that we should do better by our teachers especially as the demands of education increase.
Yet, many teachers also raise the issue of parental demands on them.
Often, parents expect teachers to not just help their children in the academic sphere, but in character-building as well.
Most teachers would say this is part of the job too, but it requires the active partnership of parents.
Do parents do enough?
Do many still bother teachers at all hours with phone messages and “urgent” e-mails after-hours?
A family walking in Singapore. (Photo: Gaya Chandramohan)
ARE BETTER SALARIES ENOUGH?
For all this work are our teachers paid fairly?
Remuneration for teachers and allied educators has improved over the years.
In fact, as far back in 2015, it was announced that up to 30,000 teachers will receive 4 per cent to 9 per cent increases in their monthly wages.
It was also announced that all trained teachers would get an annual special payment each September from 2016, which is between S$500 and S$700 in cash.
Some might say this isn’t enough.
Others say, the money helps but the long hours, including often having to work during the holidays, negate the benefits of a higher salary, no matter how high.
This should force the authorities and those of us who come into contact with teachers to give teachers’ welfare a deeper relook.
Many of us acknowledge that teaching is a noble profession, but is free parking really the way to recognise this?
It seems like nothing but a “consolation prize”, and perhaps the wrong battle to be fighting as it hardly addresses the numerous issues that teachers face on a daily basis.
Aside from addressing the day-to-day rigours of the job, we should also have an honest conversation about what would be a fitting manner of rewarding our teachers in terms of privileges.
Since even free parking will soon be a thing of the past, it is even more pressing for the ministry, the schools, school leaders and parents and students alike to re-examine our expectations and the demands on teachers and while doing so, re-assess the way our teachers are recognised for the invaluable jobs they do.
Bharati Jagdish is the host of Channel NewsAsia Digital News’ hard-hitting On The Record, a weekly interview with thought leaders across Singapore, and The Pulse, Channel NewsAsia’s weekly podcast that discusses the hottest issues of the week.
