MOE to rotate heads of departments who have served in same school for over 8 years, allowing others to benefit from their experience
The Ministry of Education said the rotation of experienced educators is aimed at fostering professional growth and leadership stability.
SINGAPORE — Senior educators in leadership roles who have served in the same schools for over eight years will be reshuffled from 2027. According to the Ministry of Education (MOE), this move will allow other schools to benefit from their experience.
An MOE spokesperson told Yahoo Southeast Asia on Thursday (28 March) that one to two senior key personnel, such as heads of departments and year heads from each school, are expected to be rotated each year to ensure stability in leadership teams.
Presently, principals and vice-principals are rotated every five to seven years.
The MOE spokesperson said this initiative aims to facilitate the professional growth of senior key personnel and build a dynamic fraternity of educators.
"The rotations will provide senior key personnel with opportunities to contribute to other schools, which will benefit from their years of experience and expertise in education," the ministry explained.
MOE said that it will work with school leaders, where needed, to assist these educators in identifying suitable postings for rotation.
Senior key personnel can apply for a posting to any MOE school with vacancies through MOE's internal posting exercise.
MOE also said that supervisors will work closely with these educators to plan their movements, considering both the school's needs and staff requirements.
Key personnel aged 55 and above will not be subject to rotation, as the Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao reported on Wednesday.
Navigating the transition
English daily The Straits Times reported on Wednesday (27 March) that Mike Thiruman, general secretary of the Singapore Teachers' Union (STU), said senior educators transitioning to new schools will likely experience a learning curve. This adjustment comes as they leave their familiar environments and move to new schools.
He highlighted the need for structured support mechanisms and discussions to help key personnel who transfer to another school assume leadership duties.
"It has to be structured and cannot be just left to chance. The SOPs (standard operating procedures) need to be ironed out, and KPs (key personnels) need to have discussions with the school leaders about their vision," he said.
Thiruman also noted that the scheme especially benefits younger key personnel as they have a longer tenure in the education fraternity, The Straits Times reported.
"I think in the overall scheme of things, for our individual and long-term employability, it's better for us to try out different things in the organisation so that we become valuable and can contribute more," he was quoted as saying.
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