Enhanced Funding for Mother Tongue Language Learning and Promotion Committees

The Mother Tongue Language Learning and Promotion Committees (MTLLPCs)¹ have received a new tranche of funding for another five years (FY2021 to FY2025) from the Ministry of Education (MOE). They will also see an increased funding from $25 million to $30 million to support a more extensive pipeline of programmes and activities.

2. This was announced by Minister of State for Education and Chairperson of the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL), Ms Sun Xueling, who was the Guest-of-Honour at the opening ceremony of the World Book Day and Literature Under the April Sky 2021, held at Hwa Chong Institution (HCI).

3. The additional $5 million will be part of the assured funding from MOE to the MTLLPCs which is an increase of 25%, from $20 million in the previous tranche to $25 million in this new tranche. The remaining will be set aside as a matching grant for funds raised from the community.

4. The MTLLPCs play an important role in complementing our schools' efforts to promote the use of MTLs beyond the classrooms. With the renewed funding, the MTLLPCs will be able to continue initiating a wide range of programmes and activities that leverage the expertise and networks of various community stakeholders. A list of existing MTLLPC flagship programmes and examples of enhancements to initiatives with the renewed funding can be found in Annex A.

World Book Day and Literature Under the April Sky 2021

5. The World Book Day and Literature Under the April Sky is an annual event that aims to instil a culture of reading among youths. This year's theme, "书香伴我行", highlights the importance of reading being a source of inspiration and strength, especially during the current pandemic period.

6. In the lead up to this year's event, which is co-organised by CPCLL, the National Library Board and HCI, students from more than 100 primary and secondary schools participated in the World Book Day@Schools – a month-long programme comprising interesting reading activities to promote the joy of reading amongst students.

7. At the opening ceremony today, renowned overseas authors, Associate Professor Huang Fan (黄梵副教授) and Ms Sang Gege (桑格格), delivered keynote addresses on the importance of reading and their experiences as authors. MOS Sun also launched a student publication, 《遇见未来》, which is a compilation of outstanding essays written by students under the Author-in-Residence Programme². Around 30 guests attended the ceremony, and more than 1,000 students and members of the public tuned in to the live streaming of the event online.

8. In addition, 19 secondary and pre-university students also received the 2021 Chinese Language Elective Programme (CLEP) Best Improvement Award at the virtual ceremony. The award, introduced in 2015, recognises students for their marked improvement in Chinese Language (CL) subjects, passion in learning the language, good character and active contributions to the CLEP. The list of award recipients can be found in Annex B.

9. An online exhibition showcasing the Reading Ambassadors Programme³ activities, designed by five secondary schools, can also be found on the official event website (www.wbd2021.sg). The list of schools can be found in Annex C.

10. Members of the public will be able to participate in various reading activities organised by local reading clubs, from now till 31 May 2021. For more information on the World Book Day activities, please visit the official event website or www.cpcll.sg

Footnotes

1. The MTLLPCs comprise the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL), the Malay Language Learning and Promotion Committee (MLLPC) and the Tamil Language Learning and Promotion Committee (TLLPC).

2. The Author-in-Residence Programme (驻校作家计划) is an initiative to inspire creative writing in Chinese among secondary school and junior college students.

3. The Reading Ambassadors Programme (阅读大使计划) is a biennial programme that trains participating Reading Ambassadors, who are teachers, to design and implement reading activities in schools. It also creates platforms for the sharing and promotion of good CL reading practices among schools.