Desmond Lee says MOE tailors class sizes to student needs, prioritising targeted support and well-being

SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Education’s approach to class sizes is guided by students’ learning needs, with more teaching resources and smaller classes provided for those requiring greater support, Desmond Lee said on 3 February 2026.

He cited examples where class sizes vary significantly depending on the nature of support required, particularly for younger students and those with additional learning or behavioural needs.

Lee was responding to a Parliamentary question from Elysa Chen, Member of Parliament for Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC, who asked about MOE’s current position on optimal class sizes.

Chen referred to findings that teachers face increasing complexity in their roles, including supporting students with diverse learning needs, mental health challenges, and special educational needs.

Smaller classes for transition and early intervention

In his response, Lee outlined how Primary 1 and Primary 2 classes are generally kept at around 30 students to better support children’s transition into formal schooling.

He highlighted Transition Support for Integration (TRANSIT) classes as a key example of targeted resourcing.

“TRANSIT classes are conducted in even smaller class sizes of up to 10,” Lee said.

He explained that these classes support Primary 1 students identified with social and behavioural needs.

“TRANSIT classes help our Primary 1 students who are identified with social and behavioural needs to develop foundational self-management skills when they start school,” he said.

Lee added: “Recently, I sat in one of these TRANSIT classes to see how they carry out the approach, pedagogy, as well as socio-emotional learning.”

Focused support for language and learning needs

Lee also pointed to the Learning Support Programme, which is conducted in pull-out classes of around eight to 10 students.

“Why? Because this is a specialised early intervention programme in our schools for lower primary students who need additional help with the English language,” he said.

For students with dyslexia, the school-based dyslexia remediation programme operates in even smaller groups.

“This is conducted in classes of four to six students,” Lee said.

“With these special educational needs, we want to better support them, because overcoming some of these challenges or managing this challenge like dyslexia allows them to access support for many other subjects.”

Differentiated classes in secondary schools

At the secondary level, Lee said Full Subject-Based Banding allows students to attend subject classes of different sizes.

“With Full Subject-Based Banding, our secondary school students attend different subject classes of between 20 and 40 students, depending on their learning needs and the nature of the subject,” he said.

He added that schools may also deploy two form teachers for classes on a needs basis, where resourcing allows.

Beyond class size: counsellors and SEN officers

Lee emphasised that class size is not the only means of supporting students with diverse needs.

“Schools also have school counsellors to strengthen the social-emotional skills of our students and special educational needs officers to provide learning and behavioural support for our students who need it,” he said.

He noted that the number of trained school counsellors and special educational needs officers has increased from around 800 to 1,300 over the past decade.

“We will continue to study the effectiveness of our approach, including on class sizes, and are prepared to adjust our strategies where necessary,” Lee said.

AI, soft skills, and human development

In her supplementary question, Chen asked whether, in a world disrupted by AI and characterised by smaller family sizes, it is even more important for children to develop soft skills.

She said emotional and psychological strengths “only humans can nurture” and asked whether MOE would relook class sizes, given that human mentoring cannot easily scale with technology.

Lee agreed on the importance of social and emotional competencies.

“Social-emotional skills and competencies are important not just now but for a future such as one where AI presents both opportunity as well as uncertainty and disruption,” he said.

He referred to MOE’s AI-in-education framework.

“We want to teach our children what is AI, how to use AI, how to learn with AI, and most importantly, how to learn beyond AI,” Lee said.

Teaching beyond academics

Lee said the recently enhanced 21st Century Competencies framework supports students through multiple channels.

“Through academic subjects, through CCA, CCE, and other forms of support in school,” he said.

“This means that teaching is not just academic teaching of subjects but also more holistic teaching of a child.”

He added that MOE continues to support students with greater needs by allocating more resources, including teaching support, special educational needs officers, and counselling support.

Limits of technology and the human touch

Associate Professor Jamus Lim, the Workers’ Party MP for Sengkang GRC, cited cognitive science research suggesting humans learn best through interaction with other humans.

He said that while AI allows customised education, such approaches “are not a justifiable substitute”.

“To this end, I wonder if the ministry will therefore look at alternatives other than purely reducing class sizes,” Lim said, including “the possibility of increasing teachers or teaching assistance within the classroom”.

He also asked about MOE’s decision to scale back allied educators in teaching and learning roles.

Allied educators and classroom support

In response, Lee said Lim had made “a very good observation”.

“I thank him for supporting the move to augment our teaching force with allied educators,” Lee said, referring to school counsellors, special educational needs officers, and outdoor education allied educators.

He said the shift enables MOE to specialise the support given to students.

Lee acknowledged that educational technology allows some degree of customisation.

“Edtech AI in the SLS space allows our children to get extra scaffolding and support in class and outside the class,” he said.

However, he stressed: “There is no substitute for human-based teaching, for the human touch.”

“EdTech is never a substitute for that human touch,” Lee added.

Balancing resources and national priorities

Nominated MP Kenneth Goh asked whether MOE has clear thresholds to determine when resources are sufficient, rather than leaving decisions solely to schools’ capacity.

Lee said resource allocation is a continuous dialogue between schools and MOE.

He said baseline support is supplemented by additional school- or cluster-based resources depending on needs.

MOE must also balance student support with budget constraints, manpower considerations, and broader national priorities, while seeking to optimise holistic development and teachers’ workload.

Lee added that future improvements would involve better use of technology, reviews of education and assessment approaches, and ongoing efforts to reimagine the teaching profession and classroom support.