User:SNng/Language education in Singapore

With the exception of Mother Tongue classes, lessons in Singapore are conducted entirely in English. This continues from primary school all the way through to secondary school. In junior colleges, students who did Higher Mother Tongue (HMT) at secondary level have the choice to opt out of Mother Tongue classes entirely.

Background
During British colonial rule, the local schools in Singapore had different school systems and taught in different languages. In the period of time where Singapore was heading towards self-governance after World War 2, bilingual education was a key policy for racial integration. Considering also that Singapore is a linguistically and ethnically diverse country with a population of about 5 million people (as at June 2010), a lingua franca was needed to facilitate communication among the different races and different dialect groups. Malay was briefly considered to be the official schooling language, in consideration of the merger between Singapore and Malaysia. However, English emerged as the common tongue to be taught in school. Because of the status of English as a world language and the desire for her people to continue to be culturally anchored to their home language, the government thus encouraged Singaporeans to be fluent in English and their Mother Tongue. As such, bilingual education has always been a cornerstone of the language education system in Singapore.

The bilingual education policy was first introduced by the government in 1966. All subjects are taught in English, and curriculum time is set aside weekly in all government schools for Mother Tongue lessons. This deviates from the more typical program models for bilingual education, for which academic content is taught in two languages, usually a native and a secondary, with variable extent for each language. 'Mother tongue' in this context refers to the language of one's official ethnicity, also denoted as the second language (L2), as opposed to the language spoken in the home domain, otherwise generally as acknowledged one's native language (L1).

English
The Ministry of Education (Singapore) places heavy emphasis on English as it is the “the language of administration, education, commerce, science and technology, and global communication” and therefore “mastery of English is vital to Singapore’s pupils”. An English Language Institute of Singapore (ELIS) was set up in 2011 to provide "in-service training for EL and English-medium teachers". It is hoped that when students leave school, they would have acquired basic literacy skills.

In 2011, a combined team of students from Raffles Institution and Hwa Chong Institution emerged champions at the 23rd World Schools Debating Championship held in Dundee, Scotland. This is one of the many evidences of the success of the English as L1 policy.

History

Since 1987, English has been designated as the official first language within the local education system. English is the first language learned by half the children by the time they reach preschool age and becomes the primary medium of instruction, as well as subject of study, by the time they reach primary school. 80% of the lessons in school are taught in English.

The English Language Curriculum is designed to help pupils “pupils become independent lifelong learners, creative thinkers and problem solvers who can communicate effectively in English”. Hence apart from use in the curriculum, English is also intergrated in many co-curricular activities outside the classroom. Pupils will be required to read widely, learn how to analyse and evaluate language and the media, and respond creatively to problems and new technology. The curriculum is reviewed every 5 years. The table below lists out the main syllabus changes over the years.

Primary Education
Primary school students are assessed on their skills in English based on the following tasks:


 * Cloze passage (fill in the blanks)
 * Comprehension passage
 * Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
 * Composition writing
 * Oral test (Passage reading and picture description)
 * Listening comprehension

The table below lists out the aims of each components of English-language assessment.

Language facilitators to help primary school students with English-language learning were engaged in 25 primary schools in 2010. . These language facilitators will be conducting before- and after- school enrichment lessons, such as story telling and drama. Over time, MOE plans to extend them across primary schools in Singapore.

Secondary Education
Students are assessed based on the following components:
 * Comprehension
 * Composition writing
 * Oral test (Passage reading and picture description)
 * Listening comprehension

Junior College
By Junior College (JC), it is assumed that the students' English language level has reached a satisfactory level. In a subject known as General Paper, students are further assessed on their written English discourse skills, by presenting arguments pertaining to current world events, issues, and trends in an essay.

Mother Tongue
While English is the main medium of instruction in Singapore, it is compulsory to take a Mother Tongue language, one of the 3 other official languages of Singapore. Together with English, the official languages of Singapore are Mandarin Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. The mother tongue to be studied is determined by the ethnicity of the individual. Mother Tongue is a compulsory and an examinable subject for children taking the PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination), GCE 'O' and 'A' Level examinations. In addition, it is considered a pre-requisite into University admissions. However, foreign students who have been abroad may apply for an exemption from studying a mother tongue language of Singapore, to study their various languages if offered.

History
Education in the period between 1965-1978 was otherwise known as 'survival-driven education' as the adoption of the bilingual education policy was an attempt to integrate the various races and ethnicities in Singapore. . In 1966, students were given a choice to be schooled in any of the official languages of Singapore, and were then required to take up one other official language as a subject. Subsequently, students had to offer their Mother Tongue paper in the GCE examinations. By the 1970s, the English language was perceived to be the key to global success and opportunities, it saw a rapid rise in enrollments for English-stream schools. Non-English- stream schools were facing difficulties maintaining enrollments and resources while some faced the brink of extinction. Mathematics and Science were taught in English and students in non- English-stream schools had difficulty coping, causing learning English to be more desirable. Civics subjects were taught in the various mother tongues based on the student's race as the administration emphasized the importance of teaching moral education in Mother Tongue. In 1979, a streaming system was introduced. Students who were able to cope with the study of 2 languages would be in the "Bilingual" stream, while those thought to be more suited to focus on 1 would be streamed into "Monolingual". By the 1980s, the education board began addressing shortcomings of the then-system by tightening second-language entry requirements into tertiary education.

Overview
Primary school consists of 6 compulsory years- the first 4 years are foundational and the last 2 years are orientation stages. This is to ensure students will have a good grasp of their foundation by the time they take the PSLE before proceeding to secondary school. Currently, Mother Tongue is given 20% of curriculum time. By Primary 4, subject-based banding allows the students to have a mix of standard and foundation-based subjects that caters to their individual learning need. Students who are found to be good in the language, is encouraged to take up Higher Mother Tongue Currently, Mother Tongue shares equal weighting as other subjects such as English, Mathematics and Science of 25% in the PSLE.
 * Mother tongue in Primary education

Secondary school education comprises 4-5 years of education. Students are streamed into 'Express' and 'Normal (Academic/ Technical)' based on their PSLE results. At the end of their course of study, they would be required to sit for the national exam Cambridge 'O' levels or 'N' levels. They will be tested on listening, oral, reading and writing during the examination. Students are offered Higher Mother Tongue as well as the standard Mother Tongue during the GCE 'O' level examination. Students who have passed their Higher Mother Tongue are then exempted from reading Mother Tongue in at the junior college level, and are also eligible to take up Chinese, Malay, or Tamil Literature.
 * Mother tongue in Secondary education

Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin Chinese or known simply as Chinese, is the main language spoken by Chinese Singaporeans. It was also made, in 1968, one of the compulsory Mother Tongue languages that is required of every Singaporean and Singapore Permanent Resident to be included as part of their education curriculum. Chinese was thus made a compulsory subject in the PSLE, in the same year. It was first introduced to Singapore during British colonization by Chinese schools in the 1920s, since then, it gained popularity. After Singapore gained independence, the government maintains continuous efforts to promote the language so as to ensure that Chinese Singaporeans know about their ethnic roots, culture and maintain traditional Asian values.

In addition, further efforts to encourage the use of Chinese included the 1979 "Speak Good Mandarin, Speak Less Dialects" Campaign as well as Chinese-medium SAP (Special Assistance Plan) schools- these schools teach both English and Chinese as first-language standard. Education in the period between 1978-1997 was the 'Efficiency-driven' phase- where the bilingual policy took a "one size fits all stance". Streaming was introduced. At the primary level, students would be streamed in to EM1 (students with strong aptitude for learning), EM2 (average students) and EM3 (students with a weaker aptitude for learning). However, in 2004, this streaming system was removed Currently, education in 'Ability-driven', where IT skills are emphasized and used to enhance language learning.

Primary Education
The table below states the primary aims of the Chinese language syllabus

The following table summarizes the changes made with regard to the Chinese Language policy.

The new Chinese language curriculum aims to make language learning more enjoyable, in hope that the students would take Mandarin beyond the classroom. Key learning areas include listening and speaking more as well as building a firm foundation in Chinese character learning skills in lower primary before developing essay skills in upper primary. The Ministry of Education has taken on a differentiated approach to ensuring each student will learn the language to the best of his abilities via a step-by-step process :
 * Bridging Module
 * For students with little or no Chinese language background
 * Aims to provide support and foundation in basic speaking and writing skills
 * Once the student is ready, he may then continue with the Core Module


 * Core Module
 * For students who have an interest to Chinese
 * Aims to develop and build literacy
 * Makes up 70%-80% of curriculum time throughout primary school
 * Is examined at PSLE


 * Enrichment Module
 * For students, in the Core Module, who have a higher ability and interest in pursuing the language further
 * Aims to encourage extensive reading

As of now, the education board is looking into making language learning more interesting and IT-based. For example, language learning through the use of smart phones and online computer games (Source: MyPaper)

Secondary Education
The Secondary school Chinese syllabus focuses mostly on developing a student's linguistic skills and reinforce their literacy skills.

The following table shows the basic aim at the end of the course of study.

The following table summarizes the changes made with regard to the Chinese Language policy.

Currently, the list of SAP schools include:


 * Anglican High School
 * Catholic High School
 * CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls' School
 * Chung Cheng High School (Main)
 * Dunman High School


 * Hwa Chong Institution
 * Maris Stella High School
 * Nan Hua High School
 * Nanyang Girls' High School
 * River Valley High School
 * Nan Chiau High School

Malay
Malay (Bahasa Melayu "Malay language"), specifically in Roman script rather than Arabic script, is ceremonially recognized as the national language of Singapore. This is attributed to the Malays being identified as the indigenous people of Singapore. Spoken as the main vernacular among Malay Singaporeans today, Malay was once considered the regional lingua franca of South East Asia, from as early as the 15th century. However, the status of Malay as a home language of ethnic Malays is experiencing a decline, from 91.6% in 2000 to 86.8% in 2005.

During the period of British colonization, instilling basic literacy and numeracy were the aims of the then available Malay-medium primary schools built by the government, in addition to maintaining the Malay culture. In contrast, the colonial government did not provide for the Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools. By 1986, only a single class of 28 students at the end of their Malay-medium secondary education remained, with no primary level students left. Malay-medium schools thus came to a natural demise, as children ceased to register for Malay-medium education. This was unlike the Chinese-medium schools, which were removed by the government.

Today, the status and development of the Malay language in Singapore is overseen by the Malay Language Council of Singapore (Majlis Bahasa Melayu Singapura), which was first established in April 1981. In addition to standardizing Malay spelling in Singapore, the council also promotes the usage of the Malay language through the Malay Language Month (Bulan Bahasa Singapura), first introduced in 1962. The Malay Language Month aims to ensure the continuity of the language as a strong part of the Malay heritage through activities like performances, competitions, and workshops.

Primary education
The primary level of the Malay language syllabus covers the foundations of students' proficiency at listening, speech, reading, and writing in Malay.

The table below outlines the intended learning outcomes of the syllabus.

Recently, the Ministry of Education enabled increased flexibility in the Malay language curriculum, at the Lower Primary level (Primary 1-3), by introducing "ability banding or differentiated instruction within a class".

The following table summarizes the changes made with regard to the Malay Language policy.

Secondary education
The secondary level of the Malay language syllabus aims to further students' acquisition and use of effective Malay language, such that their enhanced communication skills will facilitate their appreciation of the Malay language, literature, culture, and values.

The following table summarizes the changes made with regard to the Malay Language policy.

Tamil
Tamil is one of the four official languages of Singapore, and is as such, representative of the ethnic Indians. However, the Indian ethnic group speaks a variety of languages besides Tamil, which includes Malayalam, Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Hindi, and Urdu. Estimated figures from 1988 indicates that Tamil-speaking Indians only constituted 64% of the ethnic Indian population in Singapore then. To date, only 36.7% of Indian Singaporeans (as of 2010) use Tamil as a home language.

Similar to the case of Malay, Tamil-medium schools suffered with the rise of English-medium schools, and parents stopped enrolling their children in these Tamil vernacular schools. In 1982, the only Tamil-medium secondary school in Singapore, the Umar Pulavar Tamil High School, closed down, and that was the last of Tamil-medium education in Singapore.

Concerns with regard to the provision of non-Tamil Indian languages were first raised in 1991. Now, a non-Tamil Indian student may choose to offer a non-Tamil Indian language such as Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Hindi, or Urdu, as his Mother Tongue. These non-Tamil Indian mother tongues are also available for students to offer at the GCE N-, O-, and A-levels, in addition to the PSLE. Yet, due to the scattered nature and small sizes of non-Tamil speaking Indian communities, these non-Tamil Indian languages are seldom offered within the students' own schools, and instead require the Indian students to travel beyond curriculum time to special centres.
 * Non-tamil Indian languages

Primary education
The primary level of the Tamil language syllabus covers the foundations of students' proficiency at listening, speech, reading, and writing in Tamil. Additionally, it also aims to educate students on Tamil traditions and customs. Primary school Tamil learners are assessed through these measures of competency:


 * Written comprehension
 * Oral and listening comprehension
 * Essay

The table below states the primary aims of the Chinese language syllabus.

Recently, the Ministry of Education enabled increased flexibility in the Tamil language curriculum, at the Lower Primary level (Primary 1-3), by introducing "ability banding or differentiated instruction within a class".

The following table summarizes the changes made with regard to the Tamil Language policy.

Secondary education
There remains some secondary schools which do not offer Tamil language classes within curriculum time. 10% of secondary students reading Tamil language are hence required to take Tamil lessons after curriculum time, at either the Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre (UPTLC), or 11 other school-based Tamil language centres around Singapore. A list of 93 secondary schools providing Tamil language lessons can be found here.

Secondary school students offering Tamil language at the GCE O-levels are assessed via the following measures of competency:


 * Paper 1
 * Essay writing
 * Letter writing
 * Paper 2
 * Sentence completion
 * Multiple-choice comprehension questions
 * Open-ended comprehension questions
 * Paper 3
 * Listening comprehension
 * Oral examination

Outcomes
Early bilingual education policy in the 'Efficiency-driven' period (1978-1997) was based on a 'one-size fits all' approach. This has resulted in numerous present-day Singaporeans not having a good grasp of both English and Mother Tongue well. The Ministry of Education constantly reviews curriculums and policies to ensure their students develop their languages to the best of their ability with a more customized and differentiated approach.