Ex Teacher: Kudos to my ex-colleagues who are still believing in making a difference to the next generation.

By Subramaniyan Senthil Zack

Teachers,


You don't have to feel so upset over the impending parking fees. It's a good move to be transparent to the public. Since the ministry wants to ensure that it doesn't give unsubsidized parking to ensure transparency, it's good to let MOE know that you should also stop paying for stuff out of your own pocket to ensure 'transparency' too. Some example of fees that you have been paying out of your own pocket:


1. Classroom decoration items, charts, notice board materials(excluding manpower and labour fees):at least $100


2. Coming Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and Deepavali decoration items: $100-$300


3. Resources for teaching:$300(conservative estimate)


4. Remedials/supplementary/enrichment classes:$50 per hour(market rate for MOE tutors).


5. Prizes/ gifts / McDonald's /Pizza Hut/ KFC treats to motivate students(varies from teacher)


6. Children's day gifts: $100-$200


7. OT pay for staying overnight at camps, Meet-the-parents sessions at night, meetings during school holidays, learning festivals on Saturdays and Sundays, organizing events for community/MP :$50 per hour


8. Premium fees for last minute instructions from MOE for example, calling parents from 10pm-12am on a Sunday night to inform them of school closure due to haze: $100 per hour.


9. Other miscellaneous fees such as home internet or using your personal hp talk time/mobile data to conference with parents/HODs(not including OT pay for doing these after 6pm): $110 per month.


10. Transport fees to attend courses that you are 'nominated' to attend. You can't claim them currently as MOE have already SUBSIDIZED you to attend them.(not that you have any choice)


11. Labour fees for moving cupboards,tables and shelves into school premises


12. All the money you paid to replace faulty PE/music/art/ICT equipment on your own. Too tiresome to do AOR, ITQ, and then go through Gebiz and evaluation plus endless meetings with KP/AM/P just to get a pair of soccer gloves for your student. smile emoticon


13. Last but not least, fees for marking after 5pm each day, as no marking can be done before that due to meetings(CCAs, parents, vendors etc): $50 per hour.


At the end of the day, is that season parking so difficult to afford? I don't think so. But the message that the sacrifices of teachers are not appreciated by MOE will have a greater cost than the revenue that it can collect from the season parking. Kudos to my ex-colleagues who are still believing in making a difference to the next generation.


From a (currently much happier) ex-teacher. :)


Note: The above was relayed to me by an ex school teacher.


This first appeared as a post on the Facebook wall of Subramaniyan Senthil Zack on 9 January 2016. Do join in the discussion over there if you have thoughts to share.


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