LANGUAGE PROGRAMMES IN CHINESE, MALAY AND TAMIL (Measures to enrich)

Mr Liew Kok Pun asked the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education what measures are being taken or will be taken, in view of the rapidly declining enrolment in non-English streams, to enrich the language programme in Chinese, Malay and Tamil and to promote their study in schools in order that they be given their proper place and that future generations of Singaporeans are not culturally uprooted.

Dr Tay Eng Soon (for the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, for the vast majority of our pupils, the learning of the mother tongue as a second language is not difficult. Last year, the passing rate for CL2, ML2 and TL2 at PSLE was around 97%. At 10, level, the corresponding passing rate was around 87%. Therefore, there is no decline in the interest or ability of our students to study the mother tongue in the vast majority of cases.

Nevertheless, my Ministry has taken a number of steps to further improve the teaching of the mother tongue and to promote its use in our schools.

The main improvement is in the new textbooks, audio visual materials and teaching methods which have been and are being developed by CDIS. Project teams have been formed for CL2, ML2 and TL2. For example, the teaching of CL2 in primary schools has been significantly improved by the use of the new CLIPS materials for primary schools. The CLIPS materials are a major departure from earlier materials. Apart from being more interesting, the materials also give greater emphasis to listening, speaking and reading skills in addition to writing skills. Studies by CDIS and the Institute of Education show that, on the whole, pupils taught with the CLIPS approach score about 12% higher than those taught by non-CLIPS methods. The CLIPS series has reached Primary 6 level this year. Similar projects are in progress for secondary CL2 materials and for the ML2 and TL2 courses.

The second language textbooks are not just grammar books. They also contain many stories taken from the classics which are intended to impart moral and cultural values. As much as 77% of their contents are on moral and cultural topics. To ensure that the language is relevant to daily life, the textbooks also contain topics related to social and economic aspects of life,

To encourage the use of the mother tongue, all moral education classes are taught in the mother tongue in the primary schools. At the secondary level, moral education classes are taught either in English or in the mother tongue. Recognizing that there is a shortage of supplementary reading materials in the mother tongue languages, CDIS as well as private publishers are producing a growing list of new titles. Schools have been encouraged to organize their own "Speak Your School Languages" campaigns, including the mother tongue. I can therefore assure the Member for Boon Teck that my Ministry is aware of the need and is making every effort to encourage the teaching and the use of the mother tongue in our schools.