Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend EDUtech Asia 2025, held in Singapore. As Asia’s largest education and technology event, it brought together thousands of educators, leaders and organisations working at the intersection of innovation, AI and wellbeing.
Across the two days, I met many inspiring people and heard from presenters who are deeply committed to improving both teaching and learning. But one finding in particular stayed with me: a new report on teacher wellbeing in Singapore, released during the event, that highlights the growing pressures educators are facing.
The report draws on the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), the largest global survey examining teaching practice, workload and wellbeing. Conducted every five years, the 2024 survey covered 55 education systems and included responses from 3,500 lower secondary teachers across all public and selected private schools in Singapore.
Long working hours and increasing stress
The TALIS findings revealed that full-time teachers in Singapore work an average of 47.3 hours per week, well above the OECD average of 41 hours. This places Singapore third internationally for weekly teacher working hours, behind Japan and New Zealand.
The survey also found that 27 per cent of Singaporean teachers reported experiencing “a lot” of stress in their work – significantly higher than the OECD average of 19 per cent, and an increase from 2018. Teachers under 30 were more likely to report high stress levels than those over 50.
These insights, discussed in key sessions throughout EDUtech Asia, reinforce what many in the profession already know: while teaching can be profoundly rewarding, it is also exhausting, emotionally demanding and often undervalued in terms of the support structures available.
Insights that guide meaningful change
Singapore’s Minister for Education, Mr Desmond Lee, spoke to the importance of benchmarking studies like TALIS, saying they offer essential insights into teachers’ lived experiences. They help identify not only areas of strength but also opportunities to build stronger, more sustainable support systems for educators.
For me, the message was both gentle and urgent: teacher wellbeing is no longer something optional.
Burnout drains teachers of the energy, creativity and balance they bring into their classrooms – qualities that define students’ learning experiences. When teachers are overwhelmed or under-supported, it affects far more than their personal wellbeing. It touches every learner they teach.
Supporting educators as whole people
This is why initiatives that prioritise teacher wellbeing, mindfulness, rest and professional support matter deeply. We must normalise open conversations about stress and anxiety in education. Teachers, just like their students, thrive when their emotional and physical needs are met.
Respect, support and balance are not extras – they are essentials.
The findings shared at EDUtech Asia 2025 are a timely reminder that we cannot ask teachers to give their best if we do not care for them as whole people. When we make teacher wellbeing a priority, we empower educators to bring presence, energy and joy into their classrooms.
And ultimately, when our teachers flourish, our children flourish too.
