THE Ministry of Education (MOE) yesterday announced an improvement to the pay and career package for teachers, with the goal of making the profession more attractive.

The new Grow 2.0 package builds on the Grow package announced in September last year. Topping the list of changes are a new remuneration scheme from next April, an increment to the Outstanding Contribution Award and greater support for post-graduate studies.

Announced by Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam at an annual principals' appointment ceremony yesterday, the new salary scheme will peg teachers' increments to their performance and potential, and to market wage movements. It replaces the current scheme, which has fixed annual increments. With this revision, eligible teachers can expect a one-off pay rise of up to 4 per cent.

Even before the scheme is rolled out, teachers who have been graded outstanding, very good, or good performers can expect a performance bonus top-up of 1.25 months', one month's or half-a-month's pay respectively. The top-ups will be made in March next year.

Following the implementation of the new scheme, good performers can receive up to a month more in performance bonus. Very good and outstanding performers can respectively receive 1.5 months and 2.25 months more.

The changes will result in an increase of up to 12 per cent in the annual salary package of good performing teachers, according to the MOE, while pay for better performers will increase by up to 18 per cent.

"For a classroom teacher with three years of teaching experience on the General Education Officer (GEO) 1A1 grade, the annual pay package will increase from $52,000 to $58,000 for a good performer and from $55,000 to $65,000 for an outstanding performer," the MOE said in a statement.

"For an experienced principal on the Senior Education Officer (SEO) Superscale "H", the annual pay package will increase from $168,000 to $193,000 for a good performer and from $185,000 to $218,000 for an outstanding performer."

MOE said that it will also raise the Outstanding Contribution Award amount by $3,000 per school. The programme, which allows schools to recognise significant contributions made by individual staff members and teams, is given a budget of $3,000 to $10,000 a year. The higher amount will enable schools to reward more individuals who have made value-added contributions, the Ministry said.

Apart from monetary gains, teachers can also look forward to enhanced financial support and leave schemes when they upgrade themselves. Various packages, offering different combinations of interest-free loans, study grants, full-pay leave and no-pay leave will be offered next year.

The MOE will also be expanding its part-time teaching programmes, and offering more career development opportunities for teachers at various levels. The policies on unpaid leave for childcare will be extended to male teachers.

The changes have met with positive response from the Singapore Teachers' Union (STU).

"The STU is glad that MOE adopts a holistic approach in making the teaching profession better and more attractive with a comprehensive package for teachers," it said in a statement. "Besides enhancing the remuneration package and providing better career development prospects, it also focuses on an issue that is close to teachers' hearts - greater work flexibility for better work-life harmony."

The STU added that, at a time of robust economic growth and stiff talent competition, the overall remuneration package for teachers must stay competitive and keep pace with the private sector.

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