More Options for Third Languages at the 'O' Level : Ministry of Education Press Release, 30 March 2002

Singapore Government Press Release

Media Division, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts,

MITA Building, 140 Hill Street, 2nd Storey, Singapore 179369

Tel: 837-9666

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

PRESS RELEASE

30 MARCH 2002

MORE OPTIONS FOR THIRD LANGUAGES AT THE ‘O’ LEVEL:

A NEW SUBJECT CHINESE (SPECIAL PROGRAMME) TO BE OFFERED AND EXTENDING THE EXISTING MALAY (SPECIAL PROGRAMME) TO MORE STUDENTS

From 2004 MOE will offer a new subject, Chinese (Special Programme) to students who did not take Chinese Language as their Mother Tongue Language (MTL) at the PSLE. The Ministry will also extend the Malay (Special Programme) to more students who have the ability and aptitude to learn a third language.

From 2004, MOE will offer Chinese (Special Programme) as a third language subject for students who did not take CL at the PSLE, but have the aptitude to do so. In addition, MOE will be relaxing the eligibility criteria for the existing Malay (Special Programme) from 2004. Students who are within the top 11 to 30% of the PSLE cohort with A* in their Mother Tongue Language (MTL) or Distinction in their Higher Mother Tongue Language (HMTL) and at least A in their English Language (EL) at the PSLE will now be eligible for the programme. The same new criteria will apply to the study of Chinese (Special Programme) when the programme starts in 2004.

The Chinese (Special Programme) will include the acquisition of linguistic skills as well as an appreciation of the cultural components of the target language. Besides acquiring the skills of speaking, reading and writing in Chinese, students will learn to appreciate the culture and values embedded in the Chinese language.

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Factsheet on Offering Chinese (Special Programme) and Extending the Existing Malay (Special Programme) to more Students, 30 March 2002, 7.00pm

Currently, students in the top 10% of a PSLE cohort are eligible to study a third language - French, German, Japanese, or Malay (Special Programme) at the secondary level. From 2004, MOE will offer a new Chinese (Special Programme) as another third language. The Chinese (Special Programme) is offered to students in the top 10% of a PSLE cohort, or in the top 11 to 30% of a PSLE cohort with A* in their Mother Tongue Language (MTL) or Distinction in their Higher Mother Tongue Language (HMTL) and at least A in their English Language (EL) at the PSLE.

At the same time, the Malay (Special Programme) which is currently only offered to the top 10% of a PSLE cohort will also be extended to students in the top 11 to 30% of a PSLE cohort with A* in their Mother Tongue Language (MTL) or Distinction in their Higher Mother Tongue Language (HMTL) and at least A in their English Language (EL) at the PSLE.

This move to provide the opportunity for more students to learn an additional MTL as a third language is part of MOE’s effort to offer more options in the education system to cater to the differing interests and abilities of our students. It will also help to nurture a group of Singaporeans who can better understand the values, culture and world-view of another community in Singapore.

Chinese (Special Programme)

The Chinese (Special Programme) is a four-year programme beginning in Secondary 1 and leading to the GCE ‘O’ level examination at the end of Secondary 4. Besides acquiring the linguistic skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing, students will learn to appreciate the culture and values embedded in CL. In terms of language competency, the standard of the Programme will be pitched at a level equivalent to about Secondary 2 of CL.

As CL is not a phonetic language and Chinese characters are different from the orthography of phonetic languages like English, Malay and Tamil, non-ethnic Chinese students will have to rely heavily on Hanyu Pinyin, and even English when they start learning CL. The Programme will place emphasis on the teaching of practical communication skills of listening, speaking and reading. About 75% of the curriculum time will be allocated to the development of these skills.

The teaching method will be varied and activity-based. Besides studying the textbooks, students will have ample opportunity to engage in language activities such as listening to and telling stories, holding conversations and discussing topics of interest to students, reporting of news and role playing. Students will also have opportunities to participate in cultural-based activities which include appreciation of Chinese painting, calligraphy, Chinese music etc. IT will be used as a tool to make the teaching lively and to help students in self-learning.

The Chinese (Special Programme) will be conducted in schools if there are at least 15 students. Students in schools that do not offer the subject will attend classes in other secondary schools within their cluster or in a nearby cluster.

Malay (Special Programme)

The Malay Elective Programme (MEP) was introduced in 1985 and was renamed Malay (Special Programme) in 2001. The Malay (Special Programme) offers students an avenue to understand the Malay Language and the cultural heritage of Malays, who form a majority population in the South East Asia region.

Currently, the Malay (Special Programme) is offered as a third language option to the top 10% of a PSLE cohort. Each year, about 120-170 students opt for the programme. 86% of students who take Malay (Special Programme) pass the O-level examinations in 2001, compared to 92% for French, 94% for German and 100% for Japanese. Malay (Special Programme) will continue to be offered at the MOELC.

Prepared by: Ministry of Education

Date: 30 March 2002