Teachers in Singapore have the second longest working hours in a poll of 35 countries, according to education charity Varkey Foundation.
Working an average of 52 hours per week, Singapore is only beaten by New Zealand, where teachers work about 52.1 hours per week.
On the upside, the survey found that Singapore teachers are compensated handsomely. The actual starting salary for a secondary school teacher here is $68,954 per year. Much higher than what teachers polled consider fair ($50,428).
Additionally, teachers are held in high regard here. The study found that the profession is much more respected than in countries like Finland, UK and the US. Out of 21 countries, Singapore ranked seventh on status of the profession.
So much so that four in five Singaporeans would encourage their children to pursue a career in teaching.
At the same time, the survey also found that almost two-thirds (63%) of Singaporeans say that pupils here respect their teachers – the sixth highest of all the countries surveyed.
Overall, the public has high confidence in the national education system, putting Singapore third on Varkey’s rank, only behind Turkey and China.
“This index finally gives academic proof to something that we’ve always instinctively known: the link between the status of teachers in society and the performance of children in school,” said Sunny Varkey, founder of the Varkey Foundation.
“Now we can say beyond doubt that respecting teachers isn’t only an important moral duty – it’s essential for a country’s educational outcomes.”