Press Releases
Singapore to set up Centre for Chinese Language
Leveraging on Singapore’s unique bilingual environment for the teaching and learning of the Chinese Language (CL), a centre will be established to focus on the training and development of CL teachers. The National Institute of Education (NIE) will work with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to set up the Singapore Centre for Chinese language (SCCL) [新加坡华文教研中心] by mid 2009.
Vision of SCCL
The Centre will bring together resources from the education sector, academia and the community to position Singapore as a centre of excellence for the training and development of CL teachers catering to a wide range of learners, including those from non Chinese-speaking backgrounds.
For a start, SCCL will focus on the needs of local CL teachers through the provision of structured in-service programmes and professional development courses. The Centre will also function as a “test-bed” for innovative ideas on pedagogy and learning activities, and establish itself as a knowledge hub in the teaching of CL.
In the medium term, SCCL will extend its services to cover the pre-school segment and overseas CL teachers. It aims to build up a brand name in the region, as an authority in the teaching of CL in a bilingual environment. In the longer term, it aims to export its expertise, by providing consultancy and offering training to CL teachers from the region and beyond.
“Having implemented many decades of bilingual policy, Singapore has accumulated invaluable and unique experience in the teaching and learning of the Chinese Language predominantly as a second language. Indeed, Singapore is well-positioned to be an international centre of excellence for the teaching and learning of Chinese Language. For a start, we would like to see the Centre playing a key role in the professional development of our teachers, We are confident that SCCL will be able to cater to learners from a variety of backgrounds including those from non-Chinese speaking environments in the region,” said Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Education and Ministry of National Development.
The SCCL Leadership
The SCCL will have a Board of Directors headed by Mr Robin Hu, Executive Vice President of Chinese Newspapers Division, Singapore Press Holdings. Mr Hu’s wealth of experience, having helmed positions in both the public and private sectors, will greatly benefit the Centre in growing its capabilities and building its standing as a centre of excellence for the teaching of CL. SMS Grace Fu will serve as the Advisor to the SCCL Board which will provide strategic direction and oversight on the development, management and administration of the Centre. The SCCL Board will comprise individuals from industry, academia, and government, including representatives from MOE, NIE, the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS).
The Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director of SCCL will be Dr Chin Chee Kuen and Dr Tan Chee Lay respectively, both of whom are Assistant Professors at NIE’s Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
Write-ups on Mr Robin Hu, Dr Chin and Dr Tan are at the Annex.
Programmes at SCCL
From mid-2009, CL teachers can look forward to attending a range of in-service courses and programmes offered at SCCL. SCCL will provide courses in areas such as pedagogies for teaching Chinese as a second language, language proficiency, Chinese cultural knowledge, linguistics, child language development, curriculum development and evaluation, school-based educational research and the use of information communication technology in language teaching. In addition, SCCL will engage in practitioner-based research that is aligned with the needs of CL learning in schools, so as to develop quality content for future teacher training. SCCL aims to train 25% of in-service CL teachers in its first year, and to reach out to all in-service CL teachers by the fifth year.
The Centre will also explore opportunities to partner the people sector such as the Chinese clan or business associations to organise public education programmes, seminars and conferences to promote the learning of CL and appreciation of Chinese culture among the community.
SCCL Operations
Recruitment of key personnel and academic staff for SCCL will commence from late 2008. The academic staff will work closely with teachers in our national schools to develop practitioner-based research.
The SCCL will operate from an interim site located at Ghim Moh Primary School during its first three years of operation.
Annex
Mr Robin Hu (胡以晨)
Executive Vice-President, Chinese Newspapers Division, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH)
Mr Hu joined SPH in February 2004 as the Executive Vice-President of its Chinese Newspapers Division. Prior to this, he held various management positions with the then National Computer Board, Economic Development Board and SingTel’s National Computer Systems Ltd.
Mr Hu has worked in China for over six years from 1995 to 2001 and was among the first teams sent by the Economic Development Board to promote the Suzhou Industrial Park project. In 1995, he was made the Regional Director for China and Deputy Director of the Singapore Software Project Office in Suzhou and was the Industry and Investment Counsellor at the Singapore Embassy in Beijing in March 1998.
Mr Hu is a director of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and a trustee of the Chinese Development Assistance Council. Mr Hu studied at the Chinese High School and National Junior College. He received his Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Mathematics from the University of Kent and holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Wales, United Kingdom.
Dr Chin Chee Kuen (陈之权)
Assistant Professor Division of Chinese Language and Culture, National Institute of Education (NIE)
Dr Chin is an Assistant Professor with the NIE Asian Languages and Cultures Academic Group and holds a PhD in Chinese Language Curriculum and Pedagogy from Central China Normal University.
Dr Chin is an experienced educator with over 10 years of teaching experience in secondary schools. He has taught Chinese as a first and second language as well as various Chinese subjects such as Chinese Literature and Confucian Ethics. He was also a Specialist Writer in the former Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore where he was heavily involved in the development of instructional materials for both Chinese as a second language and Higher Chinese for secondary schools. From 1997-2000, Dr Chin was also appointed as a Curriculum Specialist in the Curriculum Planning and Development Division in MOE before joining NIE.
Dr Chin has presented many papers on subjects ranging from Curriculum Review, Chinese cultures and incorporating ICT in CL learning, and has been the keynote speaker at several international conferences in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the international refereed Journal of Chinese Language Education.
Dr Chin was elected Assistant Secretary of the Singapore Chinese Teachers’ Union in 1997 and held the post of General Secretary from 2000 to 2006. He was conferred the Veteran of Labour Award in May 2008 by the National Trades Union Congress, for his significant contributions to the Singapore Chinese Teachers’ Union.
Dr Tan Chee Lay (陈志锐)
Assistant Professor Division of Chinese Language and Culture, National Institute of Education
Dr Tan is also an Assistant Professor with the NIE Asian Languages and Cultures Academic Group. He holds a PhD in Oriental Studies (Chinese) from Cambridge University, as well as a Master of Business Administration from Leicester University and a Master in Arts (English Studies) from National University of Singapore. He was awarded the Public Service Commission Scholarship (teaching) from 1992-1996 and the Overseas Graduate Scholarship from National Institute of Education from 2004 to 2007.
Dr Tan has 7 years of experience teaching Chinese in a secondary school and junior college, including the Chinese Language Elective Programme. He was awarded the Inspiring Chinese Teacher Award by SPH in 2000. He has also taught Chinese to native Chinese students in Taipei, as well as to British and international students in Cambridge.
As an Ex-co member of the Rediffusion Youth and Children Drama group, he has trained young children in Chinese broadcasting, drama and other Chinese enrichment classes. Since 1998, he has also served as mentor and trainer for primary, secondary and junior college composition and creative writing classes for Chinese clans and schools. His academic research was awarded accolades in both Taiwan and UK. With 10 books to his name, Dr Tan received the National Arts Council Young Artist Award in 2004, as well as the highest honour for youth, the Singapore Youth Award (Art and Culture) in 2006.