SPEECH BY MR CHAN SOO SEN, MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION, ON THE CHINESE LANGUAGE CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY REVIEW COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS AT PARLIAMENT ON THURSDAY, 25 NOV 2004

SPEECH BY MR CHAN SOO SEN, MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION, ON THE CHINESE LANGUAGE CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY REVIEW COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS AT PARLIAMENT ON THURSDAY, 25 NOV 2004

[ 中文 ]

The review of teaching is necessary in meeting the needs of changing times. Time and history have seen many languages changing from the literati’s language to the commoner’s language. The representative genres of the different eras in the Chinese history – from Tang poetry to Song prose, to Yuan drama, to Ming and Qing novels, to writings in the vernacular – clearly showed the change of the Chinese language shifting towards colloquialisms.

A classic example would be the May Fourth Movement of 1919 in China. In his article to the New Youth Journal on literary reforms, the late Chinese philosopher and essayist Hu Shi promoted vernacular literature to replace writing in the classical style. He listed “The Principle of Eight Don’ts” to outline the imperative changes of the Chinese language during that period, emphasising that the language must be comprehensible, and should be written in the way people speak, i.e. written in vernacular style.

The Qing dynasty marked the important transformation of the Chinese language. I would say the teaching of Chinese language in Singaporeis undergoing an important transformation too. At this critical moment, in conjunction with the government’s language policy, I would like to raise ‘eight Dos’ (eight key points) for the community and schools to act upon in making this transformation a success.

Here are the ‘Principle of Eight Dos’ I was talking about:

1. Assess a person’s standard in CL by his ability to use the

language;

2. Be bold to innovate, as well as reflect;

3. Create an environment conducive for using CL;

4. Raise the standard and boost the morale of CL teachers;

5. Organise more activities that are ‘spiritual’ and ‘emotional’;

6. Work hand in hand, promote collaboration;

7. Have confidence in the future of CL; and

8. Respect the feelings of other races.

1. Assess a person’s standard in CL by his ability to use the language

Examples from the West and East have proven that a language that is difficult to understand would not be of help in the promotion of literacy. If the westerners are still using Latin today, they definitely will not be able to promote education, and in turn, develop the sciences and technology.

Some people think that knowing many difficult words and phrases would mean that their standard of CL is high. In actual fact, using this as a yardstick is unrealistic because vocabulary is just one of the many aspects to look out for when assessing a person’s standard in a language. A person can only be considered to be truly effective in a language if he is able to express his true feelings and deep thoughts by using just plain and simple language.

When former president Ong Teng Cheong died, the Chinese Embassy here sent a wreath that read: ‘An old friend of the Chinese people（中国人民的老朋友）.’ A wreath at the funeral of Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping had just four words: ‘Xiaoping, go well（小平走好）.’ The words used were so simple but they were succinct and moving.

Singaporeis a multi-lingual society and bilingualism is our cornerstone. In view of this, we have to set a reasonable standard for everyone to attain. We do not want to set a standard so high that it turns away the majority of Singaporeans and cause a further slide in standards.

Traditional Chinese schools in the fifties to sixties set very high standards for CL but very few could meet the expectations. It is even more unrealistic to expect our pupils today to achieve the same standards. To keep CL alive, we have to make CL a living language that pupils could use in their daily lives.

2. Be bold to innovate, as well as reflect

Each time we have a review, the initial reaction from the Chinese community would be that of ‘the standard of CL is going to decline again’. It is the same this time around. I would like to urge the Chinese community to move with times and look at the impending transformation of CL teaching with an open mind and positive attitude.

One of the recommendations in the CLCPRC’s report is to consider adopting the “Recognise First, Write Later” approach at the lower primary level, emphasizing speaking and reading over writing, and thus reducing the stress on writing. However, the Chinese community had probably taken this to mean that the CL standard has fallen. Actually, the CLCPRC’s recommendation is “Recognise First, Write Later”, not “Recognise Only, No Writing”.

Writing, in the narrow sense, refers to using a pen to write characters and words. In the broader sense, it includes composition writing. The CLCPRC’s recommendation is targeted at the narrower definition of writing, and that is, to reduce writing of large numbers of characters at a young age. Pupils are only required to learn and practise basic character strokes and character formation. When a pupil’s character recognition skill strengthens, he would be able to reproduce from memory most of the characters he has learnt. There is no need to make him practise writing the characters repeatedly.

In this IT age, we should tap on IT tools to enhance CL learning. Using computers to ‘write’ is fast and convenient; through the internet, we can share what we have written with more people. Isn’t that a positive change? Why must we ask of pupils to repeatedly practise writing every character that he has learnt?

A few colleagues, Mr Gan Kim Yong, Associate Professor Low Seow Chay and Dr Amy Khor opined at the Parliamentary Debate that the ‘Recognise First, Write Later’ approach is risky. I agree. They also cautioned that we have to consider the context we are in. This, I also agree. But let us look at the approach with the courage to innovate, as well as reflect.

By reducing the burden of character writing, emphasising more on aural-oral skills training to improve pupils’ conversational skills and reading skills, and guiding them to read more, pupils will be more motivated to read more and acquire new vocabulary and knowledge, and in turn improve their language competencies.

3. Create an environment conducive for using CL

Besides adjusting their mindsets, the Chinese community has a bigger role to play in promoting the use and learning of CL. I am not saying the Chinese community has not played an active role for the past years, rather, I hope that they can, from this point forward, more effectively promote the learning of CL.

The Chinese community can work with schools in providing more opportunities to learn and use CL through activities in and outside the school, so as to create a conducive environment for CL learning. For example, setting up of Reading Clubs in clans and associations to encourage more people to read, and tying it with reading programmes in school to further promote reading.

The Chinese community can also help in promoting educational research, helping parents to better understand the learning of CL, and even strengthening ties between scholars and educational schools in Singaporeand China.

4. Raise the standard and boost the morale of CL teachers

CL teachers face the greatest pressure in this period of transformation. Not only do they have to adapt to the changes, they must also be able to produce good academic results. Now is the time the Chinese community show their utmost support and encouragement to our CL teachers, giving them the necessary boost, helping them to carry out their tasks confidently and happily.

The ‘Inspiring CL Teacher Award’ and ‘Outstanding Lesson Plan Award’ can help to boost the morale of CL teachers. I hope to see the Chinese community provide more of these awards to motivate teachers. Besides, they can also sponsor teachers in publishing their literary works and research publications, and also improve the quality of life and social status of CL teachers through organising of training courses and social activities.

5. Organise more activities that are perceptual and intellectual

Where activities are concerned, we hope that the Chinese community could, bearing in mind the objectives of engaging the creative and emotional minds of our pupils, organise more meaningful activities to make CL learning closer to their hearts. These activities should bring out the beauty and practicality of CL, and correct pupils’ impression of CL being an ancient and stiff language that does not allow them to express their feelings and thoughts freely. We have to make them want to talk, have something to talk about; be confident and competent in using CL to express their feelings and thoughts, show their identity, and in the process, see CL as a vibrant and living language, not just an examinable subject.

To achieve this, we must come up with more challenging and creative activities for our pupils. For example, activities like Chinese Song-writing competition (held by St Andrew’s JC), creative writing competition, online creative writing competition, script writing and drama performances, etc can help us achieve the objectives. We should not organise competitions (like composition writing with fixed titles) that hamper pupils’ creativity.

6. Work hand in hand, promote collaboration

Cultural and education organisations should work closely with one another. Only with teamwork then can we achieve greater success in the things we do.

Cultural and education organisations can collaborate in organising activities, sharing resources and exchanging experiences. These groups can tap on the enthusiasm of different organisations, promote ties and cooperation among them, and also ensure better utilisation of resources.

7. Have confidence in the future of CL

MP Mr Ong Ah Heng reported at the Parliamentary Debate how CL teachers he met in the course of his trade union work had told him they felt like ‘second class’ teachers and were not given the respect they deserve. Some people think that CL has no value in Singapore; some even go to the extreme and see CL as the language of the unsuccessful. As a result of all these negative viewpoints, the Chinese community is worried about the future of CL and has reservations on the CL review, thinking that the changes are going to cause our CL standards to slide again.

These worries are unfounded and uncalled for, and I cannot help but feel upset. If we do not have confidence in our own mother tongue, how can we shoulder the great responsibility in implementing the changes of the CL review?

Chinais rising fast and the impact CL has on the world is evident. The usage and status of the CL has risen to a peak. Those who think “CL is the language of the unsuccessful”, “CL is declining”, “CL users are a suppressed lot”, ought to change their mindsets and open their eyes to the whole world and look at the global trend.

The use of CL is common all around the world. Many westerners are learning CL and CL has become an international language. Therefore, we should now worry that it will decline.

If the Chinese community is confident about the future of CL, then there is no need to feel uneasy about the changes in education policy. At the beginning of the year, MOE allowed pupils to offer CL B syllabus from Sec 1 onwards and relaxed the criteria for entry into local universities. This caused panic among the Chinese community, where many people thought the government was giving up on CL. As the international role of CL rises in importance, the government will never disregard the value of CL. The CL B syllabus is customised to meet the needs of a small group of pupils lacking in CL learning environment. We want them to achieve a reasonable standard in CL. At the same time, to ensure that pupils who are good in CL are given the chance to study CL at a higher level, we have relaxed the criteria to offer Higher Chinese (HCL) and introduced the Bicultural Studies Programme to allow more pupils to learn the CL to as high a level as they are capable of. This is in line with the spirit of customising teaching and learning to meet the different needs of our pupils.

Statistics from MOE showed that after the relaxation of the eligibility to offer HCL, the number of Sec 1 pupil offering the subject increased by 300 (24.3%); the number of Sec 1 pupils studying CL B had also increased by 119. These figures proved that there is a need for customisation.

8. Respect the feelings of other races

The government’s focus on the problems of CL teaching has sparked unease among the other races. MOE has received an e-mail from someone who asked: “Is Singapore going to be handed over to China? Or are they taking over us?” We must never forget that Singaporeis a multiracial and multi-religious country. One of the attributes for our success is racial harmony. Hence, when implementing the CL reforms, we must never hurt the feelings of our fellow countrymen.

Conclusion

The impact of this CL review is going to be deep and far-reaching. Though it cannot be compared with the May Fourth Movement, it is an important milestone in the development of CL teaching in Singapore.

Looking ahead, be it in the cultural, economic or science domain, Chinese language will have greater value more than ever. I hope the Chinese community can hold onto the ‘Principles of Eight Dos’:

1. Assess a person’s standard in CL by his ability to use the

language;

2. Be bold to innovate, as well as reflect;

3. Create an environment conducive for using CL;

4. Raise the standard and boost the morale of CL teachers;

5. Organise more activities that are ‘spiritual’ and ‘emotional’;

6. Work hand in hand, promote collaboration;

7. Have confidence in the future of CL; and

8. Respect the feelings of other races.

Let us work together in making Singapore’s Chinese language reform a success.