One in 10 SPED teachers resigned over past five years, but workforce grew by 18%
About one in 10 special education (SPED) teachers in Singapore resigned over the past five years, Minister for Education Desmond Lee said in a written parliamentary reply on Tuesday (6 Oct).
Source: APSN on Facebook, for illustrative purposes only
The most commonly cited reasons were wanting to change job type, personal reasons and family commitments.
Mr Lee revealed the figures in a written parliamentary reply on 6 Oct, responding to a question from Dr Charlene Chen, Member of Parliament (MP) of Tampines GRC, about the growth and attrition of the SPED teacher workforce.
SPED teacher workforce grew by 18% from 2021 to 2025
Despite the high attrition rate, Singapore’s SPED teacher workforce grew from about 1,600 in 2021 to 1,900 in 2025, roughly a 19% increase.
Over the same period, SPED student enrolment rose from about 7,000 to 9,000, a 28.6% increase, with an addition of five more SPED schools.
According to the Straits Times (ST), the latest figures mark the first time the Ministry of Education (MOE) has disclosed the attrition rate for SPED teachers.
Unlike teachers in mainstream schools, SPED educators are not part of MOE’s educator pool.
They serve under social service agencies that operate SPED schools.
SPED attrition higher than mainstream teacher resignation rate
The figures come as Singapore prepares to expand its SPED school network.
Source: St. Andrew’s Autism Centre on Facebook, for illustrative purposes only
In March, MOE announced plans to set up three new SPED schools by the early 2030s.
The schools will cater to the growing number of students diagnosed with autism and intellectual disability.
For comparison, MOE said in July that about 750 teachers in mainstream schools resigned each year over the past five years.
This represented an average resignation rate of about 2%, or one in 50 teachers.
The SPED teacher attrition rate of about 10% is therefore higher.
MOE working with social service agencies on pay, recruitment
Mr Lee said MOE has been working with social service agencies to grow the SPED teacher workforce alongside rising student numbers.
This includes efforts to improve remuneration, recruitment and professional development.
MOE updated salary guidelines for SPED educators in 2024.
The ministry has since worked with the sector to adopt the recommended salary ranges and implement “stronger performance-based remuneration”.
Source: Autism Network Singapore on Facebook, for illustrative purposes only
Between 2024 and 2026, SPED classroom teachers could receive salary increases of up to 12%.
Teacher aides could receive increases of up to 15%.
By 2026, SPED teachers are expected to earn between S$3,000 and more than S$7,000 a month.
Teacher aides are expected to earn between S$2,000 and more than S$4,000.
Relief teachers and Parents Gateway to ease workload
MOE has also made a shared pool of relief teachers available to SPED schools.
These teachers can step in when SPED teachers are away for training or leave.
The ministry is also onboarding SPED schools onto Parents Gateway.
The app allows schools to communicate with parents and could help reduce teachers’ administrative workload.
Half of SPED schools are scheduled to be onboarded by the third quarter of 2027, Mr Lee said in the parliamentary reply.
MOE has also supported recruitment and professional development efforts in the sector.
Source: Autism Network Singapore on Facebook, for illustrative purposes only
A leadership development programme for SPED educators was introduced in 2025.
The measures come as Singapore works to expand its SPED capacity amid growing student enrolment.
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Featured image adapted from Autism Network Singapore on Facebook. Picture for illustrative purposes only.
