COMMITTEE ON ENGLISH SECONDARY EDUCATION AND CHINESE SENIOR MIDDLE SCHOOL EDUCATION

Mr Lee Choon Eng asked the Minister for Education if the Government will set up a Committee to enquire into the report upon the standard of English Secondary Education compared with the Chinese Senior Middle School Education and also to recommend to the Government the need or otherwise of changing the text-books at present in use in English Schools to suit the present trend of political changes.

Mr Chew Swee Kee: Sir, it is extremely difficult to compare educational standards of different systems which use different media of instruction. The path proposed by the hon. Member for Queenstown would call for a Committee with a wide range of ability and technical experience both in English and Chinese, and their studies, to be of any value, would necessarily take a long time. Officers with the necessary qualifications are already fully occupied with more important duties, and the answer to the hon. Member's first question must therefore be no. However, there is now in Singapore a visiting research professor conducting a course of training in methods of educational testing, and it would be possible, with his help, to undertake the task at some later date.

I am glad to have the opportunity to answer the second part of the hon. Member's question, and to make a brief statement on the progress which has already been made in Malayanising syllabuses and textbooks. The Ministry has set up a committee and this Committee and its various Sub-Committees contain representatives of all the various interested groups, and progress has been made. Syllabuses for geography and physical education in primary schools, English in secondary schools, and civics in Singapore schools are already in print, and others for mathematics, science, history, English in English primary schools, physical education in secondary schools and geography, that is Malay version, are ready for publication. They are to be published in all the appropriate local languages and will cover the contents of teaching in all Singapore schools.

The writers and publishers of school textbooks in English anticipate the need for Malayanised textbooks, and some textbooks are already in use. Many others are being prepared in the course of the new syllabuses. Similarly, there are several new schemes of textbooks for use in Chinese primary schools. It is only in regard to the Malayanisation of Chinese Middle School textbooks that there has been any difficulty at all.

Even though the work of drafting common Malayan syllabuses has almost been completed, the work of providing the necessary textbooks is a difficult and highly specialised business and I cannot promise quick results, but my officers are aware of its importance and are doing all they can.

Mr Lim Cher Kheng: Mr Speaker, Sir, since the Hon. the Minister for Education compares standards in English and Chinese schools, may I know whether he recognises the significant improvement of the English language in the Chinese schools? At the same time, does he recognise the very little improvement in the standard of vernacular languages in the English schools?

Mr Chew Swee Kee: On the contrary, there has been an appreciable increase in the standard of vernacular languages in English schools.