Speeches
Speech by Mr Masagos Zulkifli BMM, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Home Affairs, at the 14th National Primary Schools On-The-Spot Chinese Composition Competition, on Saturday, 17 May 2008, at 9.00am, at Ang Mo Kio Primary School
Mr Diong Tai Pew, Chairman, Singapore Foochow Association
Mr Chye Cheer Lim, Chairman, Singapore Chinese Teachers’ Union
Mr Chia Hwee Pheng, Chairman, Singapore Association of Writers
Mrs Seah Lay Tin, Principal, Ang Mo Kio Primary School
Teachers
Parents and students
大家早上好！
I am very happy to join you this morning at the National Primary Schools On-The-Spot Chinese Essay-Writing Competition.
Introduction
It is wonderful to see more than 900 students here today from 138 schools demonstrating their flair for the Chinese Language. Activities like this are one of the many ways in which we can stimulate our children’s desire to learn a language, and spur them to achieve excellence. I understand that winning entries will be captured in an annual publication. Seeing one’s work in print is always gratifying, as it is an affirmation of the standard that one has achieved. I am certain that this competition will inspire our prize winners to continue to build on their love for and interest in the Chinese language.
Some of you here will emerge as prize winners today, and will see your labour of love published in this book. But whether you emerge as one of the prize winners is not crucial. What is more important is that you have made a choice to be here this morning, not because it is a school requirement, but because you have an interest in your mother tongue language and wish to stretch yourselves by using the language in a stimulating activity. And to all of you here - I hope that your preparation for this competition and your participation here today will lead you to develop a deeper interest in reading and writing in the Chinese language.
Bilingualism a key feature in our education system
Doing well in both English and your mother tongue is essential for your future. That is why bilingualism has been a key feature of our education system for the last 40 years. Learning the English language and learning it well is still the key to retaining our role in the world. English allows you to reach out to a world of knowledge and ideas, and to make the best use of it. Our proficiency in the English language has given us a competitive advantage in this increasing globalised world, and has enabled us to attract many international enterprises to Singapore. It also enables Singaporeans to relate with people from all over the world, and to operate from almost anywhere in the world.
China understands this. And with the Olympics round the corner, the Chinese government has embarked on a massive programme to teach the population basic English. While almost all primary schools in China already teach English as a second language, the Olympic drive has spurred an English learning frenzy all over the country, with people of all ages learning English so as to be “internationalised”. Even the elderly are determined to be part of the action, as many of them living near the site of the Olympics Games have enrolled in classes to practise English phrases and etiquette to welcome foreign guests visiting Beijing for the Olympic Games.
While learning English opens up opportunities for us to communicate with the rest of the world, our mother tongue languages allow us to reach into our own cultures, and be confident of ourselves as a society. As a relatively young, multi-racial nation, our multicultural environment is what makes Singapore unique and attractive. Learning the language of our forefathers, incidentally, most of them did not speak English, links us directly with our rich heritage and helps us to understand who we are, and what makes us different from the rest of the world. Thus, mastering our mother tongue languages helps us to develop a sense of belonging to our families, our community and ultimately our country.
Our mother tongues give us a world-view that complements the perspective of the English-speaking world. English, as our common working language, gives us access into the world of commerce, science and technology, while our mother tongues give us direct access to our cultural heritage and helps us retain our cultural roots and identity. With this ability to access two different cultural worlds, our students are well-placed to thrive and succeed in this new world.
Building bridges across nations through common languages
Indeed, in this globalised world, it is no longer adequate to master only one language that one is comfortable in. New generations of bilingual and multilingual speakers are emerging, in Europe, and the US, China, and the rest of Asia. We must similarly provide opportunities for every student to study his mother tongue language for as long as possible and to as high a level as he is capable of, while continuing to strengthen his foundation in English. In an increasingly inter-connected world, it is all the more important for us to build bridges across nations by communicating with one another using common languages.
It is in this context that we need to do more to keep our mother tongues and cultures alive, while at the same time help Singaporeans to acquire other languages that would enable them to link up with opportunities outside, such as those in Southeast Asia and the Middle-East.
As we prepare our young for a globalised future and strengthen Singapore’s identity as an open, diverse and cohesive society, we must enhance the learning of the mother tongue and other Asian languages. For this reason, the Ministry of Education has introduced more third language options such as Bahasa Indonesia and Arabic for our students at the beginning of this year. We are also providing our students with opportunities to learn other Asian languages at the conversational level, in addition to learning their own mother tongues.
Interestingly, I understand that among the 919 students taking part in the competition today, 184 of you are participating under the “Non-Chinese Section”. Indeed, today’s event is a good example of how integration and understanding among the different races can be promoted through a meaningful activity, as students from other races are encouraged to learn and master the language.
Helping our children develop a love for the mother tongue languages
It is important that we continue to interest our younger generation to learn our mother tongue languages, so that they can continue to be proficient in the language even after leaving school. To excite our students in the language, we should go beyond making mother tongue languages a requirement in our school curriculum and examination system, and having incentives in our school system for students to do well. We have to help students develop a love for the language, so that they continue to use it actively, many years after they have completed their schooling. There is no lasting advantage in getting an A1 in MTL or higher MTL at the O level if you are not going to use the language and take pride in your ability to do so after you leave school.
Schools are taking students out of the classroom, to give them an appreciation of the practical value of the language. One of the many ways we have been doing this is by linking our schools with their counterparts in other countries. During a recent visit to Tampines Junior College, I had a chance to interact with students who went on a study trip to Egypt as part of their Malay Language Elective Programme. They had the opportunity to be immersed in Egyptian culture when they were there, and spend time with fellow students. Such exposure is certainly useful in motivating our students to go further, and take a deeper interest in their language, history and culture.
Augmenting Mother Tongue Language teachers’ knowledge and skills
The effectiveness of a curriculum hinges on the quality of our Mother Tongue Language (MTL) teachers. Good MTL teachers not only strengthen the language abilities of their students, but also provide them with a deeper understanding of the culture through language lessons. It is with this in mind that MOE recently enhanced the recruitment, training and development of MTL teachers. With these enhancements, our Malay Language teachers and Tamil Language teachers will now have new upgrading pathways for them to work towards a degree in their subject area. In the area of professional development, MTL teachers will also enjoy more development opportunities to expose them to the culture behind the language. I am confident that our MTL teachers, who face the challenge of teaching students with different learning needs and different calibre, would be able engage their students and help them learn effectively.
For the students who are here today, I encourage you to take an active interest in your mother tongue. Pursue your love for it and excel in it, not just for the sake of passing your examinations. Read widely, not just in English but in your mother tongue as well. Be curious about the rich heritage and unique perspectives that your culture offers.
It is heartening to see that this competition is not just restricted to our own students. Last year, Singapore Foochow Association invited the Johor Bahru Foochow Association to organise the event simultaneously in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. This collaboration between the two Associations drew 245 students in Johor Bahru to the event. This year, I understand the event is further expanded to cover all the Chinese primary schools from the state of Johor.
In closing, I would like to thank the Singapore Foochow Association and the Singapore Chinese Teacher’s Union for organising this event. If we want to fulfil our goal of refreshing the learning of the Chinese Language, more such platforms are needed to help make language learning more compelling and exciting.
I wish you all the best for this competition.
Thank you.