Parliamentary Replies
Choices for Above Average Chinese Language
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Teo Siong Seng, Nominated Member of Parliament
Question
To ask the Minister for Education
To ask the Minister of Education in view of the new Chinese Language teaching methods to cater for average students coming from non-Chinese speaking home environment, what assurance or choice will his Ministry give to parents who want their children to perform well or do much better than average students in the Chinese Language studies and examinations.
Response
The CL changes are to respond to the on-going trends in home language environments where the majority of Chinese households use English as the dominant language. However, the aim remains to help all students progress as far they can or want. We want to ensure that Chinese learning remains relevant and engaging by learning the language in settings and modes which they are likely to use in daily life.
The dominant use of English will mean a wider spread of capabilities in CL among students. The proposed CL approaches is to cater to the entire spectrum, and not only a select band. We will continue to support those who can attain high levels of CL proficiency. But we must also recalibrate our expectations and teaching methods for the broad middle band from mainly English-speaking homes and for students who face exceptional difficulties in learning CL. We will provide more details of these changes during the COS (in full).
Students with good CL ability will continue to receive support if they offer Higher Chinese Language (HCL). Currently, about a quarter of our students are taking HCL at the PSLE and the ‘O’ Levels. At the ‘A’ Levels, students may opt to take Chinese Language and Literature at the Higher 2 or even Higher 3 level instead of CL at the Higher 1 level. Other ‘A’ Level subjects are available for students to hone their Chinese language skills or deepen their understanding of China. These include General Studies in Chinese, China Studies in Chinese, or History in Chinese.
Beyond formal subject offerings, MOE provides opportunities for greater depth of study and enrichment through special programmes. We have 15 Special Assistance Plan (SAP) primary schools and 10 SAP secondary schools, each with their own school-based flagship programmes to nurture an interest in Chinese language and culture. The Bicultural Studies Programme (Chinese) spans the upper secondary to JC level and aims to groom a core group of students with a confident grasp of Chinese language and culture, as well as contemporary developments in China. It enrols around 350 Singaporeans each year. The Chinese Language Elective Programme (CLEP) is also available at the A-levels, to deepen students’ appreciation of Chinese language and literature. MOE will continue to encourage students to participate in these programmes.
If more students do well in Chinese and there is demand for SAP school places, MOE is willing to consider setting up one more SAP school.