Introduction

1.               I would like to thank members for their views, their many constructive suggestions, and their broad support for the objectives of the CL reforms in their comments over the last three days.  PM and MM have provided the broad perspective of the realities we face in language learning, that explain why we have to make these fundamental changes in our approach to teaching CL. My colleagues Mr Chan Soo Sen and Mr Hawazi bin Daipi have responded to several of the queries and suggestions from Members. I had set out MOE’s reasons for supporting the changes proposed by the CL Review Committee on the opening day, and would now like to round up the debate by responding to further points made by Members, and explain how we will go forward. 

2.               Three broad areas of consensus have emerged over the course of the debate.

3.               First, there is strong support for the first limb of the motion we have debated, which is to develop in our students an abiding interest in CL, as the key objective of the revised CL curriculum.

4.               Second, members have also endorsed greater customisation and flexibility in the CL curriculum, starting from the outset in Primary 1.  Members have agreed that this should aim at both ends – to help students who need support to gain confidence in the language and catch up, as well as to allow those who can go further and faster the greater opportunity to do so.

5.               Third, members agree that to keep CL a living language, we need to place more emphasis on developing in students the language skills that they can use.  For the majority, this will mean a greater focus on listening, speaking and reading, with a reduced emphasis on writing. As several members have noted, we should not do away with writing. That was not the White Paper’s intent. We will make judicious use of writing skills in the learning of CL. It will help to reinforce the learning of the other skills, and to help students appreciate the beauty of the language.

6.               Members have also lent support to a continued focus on the four language skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing – for those with the ability and interest, as well as to provide them opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of Chinese history and culture.

 Abiding Interest

7.               The central principle of the White Paper is to teach and learn CL so that it is an enjoyable, living language for all our students.  This way, we develop the intrinsic motivation to learn and use the language. 

8.               Without the intrinsic motivation, many students will continue to work hard, master their ting xie and mo xie,  and indeed will continue to do well in their examinations, because both parents and students are pragmatic and will find ways to do as well as they can in the school system.  Many students will continue to memorise whole essays for their examinations, and lose all memory of it soon after.  Dr Warren Lee was honest, as many young Singaporeans are when you ask them about their CL learning experience.  Our real objective has to extend beyond mastery of examinations.  We must give our students the functional skills they will most need after they leave school, and the confidence and the motivation to carry on learning the culture and using the language.  As Mdm Ho Geok Choo emphasised, language learning has to be for the long haul.

9.               Mr Seng Han Thong and Mr Yeo Guat Kwang rightly cautioned that enjoyment and interest should not be mistaken as making CL easy. Mr Chiam See Tong thought that this was all sugar-coating of the curriculum. Our objective is not to make learning unchallenging.  All learning requires dedication, practice and a keenness to clear hurdles that require real effort.  The question is how we motivate students to do this.  The crux of the changes to the CL curriculum is to engage students in learning the language in a way they find relevant to their lives, in a way that encourages them to use it, so that they will have the motivation to put in the effort, to keep learning and using the language, and to take pride in their ability to do so. As Dr Wang Kai Yuen, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang and Dr Chong Weng Chiew pointed out, we are long past the days when we can motivate students to learn by telling them “I say so”, or by wielding the stick or by pulling their ears on weekends.

10.           Students who enjoy learning will be motivated to go as far as they can, in their school years and after.  Our task therefore is to make CL learning engaging, relevant and interesting, while retaining the challenge that every subject must pose.    

Customisation and Flexibility

11.           Most members, including Mr Gan Kim Yong, Mr Ong Ah Heng, Mr Arthur Fong, have spoken in support of the modular approach.  Some, like Mr Fong and Dr Lily Neo, have also asked if this will amount to a brand of streaming.

12.           The modular approach that is being proposed for primary schools will not be a form of language streaming. First, there will be a core curriculum that everyone takes, from Primary 1 to 6. The PSLE will be based on this core curriculum. What we will provide students is the flexibility to take modules, from Primary 1, that help them catch up or help them reinforce what they learn in the core curriculum, or that allow them to take Enrichment modules that go beyond the core. 

13.           The modular approach, built around a core curriculum, will allow students to receive teaching that is tailored to their ability and language background without setting students who lack home exposure to the language on a weaker path, or lowering their expectations of what they can achieve from the outset.  As Dr Warren Lee mentioned earlier today, everyone should be encouraged to put in the effort.

Greater Emphasis on Listening, Speaking and Reading

14.           Next, shift in emphasis among the language skills.  There is broad agreement that by focusing, for the majority of students, on listening, speaking and reading, and by placing less emphasis on script writing, we will make learning CL more engaging and interesting to students.  This shift in emphasis is not aimed only at the early primary years, but will extend upwards. It will be reflected in the secondary school curriculum that the majority of students will take.

15.           The reduced emphasis on writing, and especially on having to put extensive practice into memorising the writing of a large number of characters, will free up space in the curriculum to develop greater confidence and fluency in communication, and in reading materials that students find engaging. This is particularly important for the new generation of students who are entering our schools, with less exposure at home to CL and who are increasingly speaking EL amongst their friends.

16.           However, MOE does not intend to do away altogether with teaching students how to write characters, even in the early primary years. We agree with Mr Gan Kim Yong, Dr Amy Khor and others on this point.  MOE will study this carefully.  For example, in the early primary years, root words and simple characters will be chosen, and students will learn to write the basic strokes and radicals of Chinese characters.  These exercises could be aimed at enhancing their understanding of the patterns and rules in character writing.  They will also be aimed at helping students to appreciate Chinese characters more, and reinforce the teaching of reading skills.

17.           MOE will study carefully how best to design the new CL curriculum, with a new balance between the four language skills at different stages of learning. It will be reflected in changes in the curriculum from 2008 onwards, starting with Primary 1 and 4 students. As part of the study, we will pilot new approaches to teaching on the ground.

18.            One of the approaches to be piloted is the Recognise First Write Later method. Yesterday, MOS Chan Soo Sen spoke on the differences between our local context and China’s, and explained that we will customise the approach that we see in China to match local realities.  I want to assure Dr Amy Khor, Mr Low Seow Chay and others that we will engage in sound experiments, suited to the abilities and backgrounds of our children, and not roll out new methods before they are tested and we have studied their implications.

19.             But we must be willing to experiment. Even in China, where putonghua is already widespread, there are many approaches in practice in schools, and constant experimentation in how best to teach the language. If we are to make any progress, we have to be willing to engage in careful educational experiments, learn from experience and make adjustments where necessary.

Opportunities for Good CL students

20.           Let me now move on to what we are doing for CL students with the ability and interest to go further. Members were rightly concerned about this.

21.           We will continue to encourage students with the ability and interest take the Higher Chinese (HCL) curriculum.  With the modular approach, HCL students will have more opportunity, not less as some members feared. They can start taking enrichment modules earlier. They will also have the opportunity to take Enrichment modules within the HCL course at Primary 5-6, that will build their vocabulary and language skills, and develop in them a deeper appreciation for the language and culture.

22.           At the ‘O’-levels, the proportion taking HCL has increased over the years, from 8% in 1997 to 15% this year.  After we relaxed the criteria this year to provide more room for students who are strong in the language to take HCL, the number taking HCL in Sec 1 has gone up, to 18% of the Sec 1 cohort.

23.            Dr Ong Seh Hong and Mr Low Thia Kiang mentioned the recent example of a student who was not allowed to continue with HCL in Primary 6 as he had done poorly in EL in Primary 5. It is an isolated case. The school had misinterpreted the MOE policy guidelines, and has since allowed the student to continue taking HCL. 

24.           On top of the base of HCL, we are allowing secondary schools to introduce new subjects taught in CL, extending the Language Elective Programme to a fourth JC from 2006. And we are rolling out the Bicultural Studies Programme next year.  We are not standing still, but looking at new peaks, spread across the system, new ways of spurring on those with the ability and interest.  Even RJC, not a SAP school, is introducing its own bicultural programme.  And we encourage them.

25.           Mr Gan Kim Yong had asked that we provide opportunity for students in polytechnics who are talented in CL to pursue their studies further. Ngee Ann Polytechnic will be starting a Diploma in Chinese Studies from next year. NIE is working with Ngee Ann Polytechnic to design a curriculum track within the proposed  Diploma that is suitable for prospective CL teachers. Upon graduation, these students may proceed to NTU for teacher training and further qualifications. More broadly, our universities now have the flexibility to identify and admit students with special abilities for any of their courses, including  Chinese Studies. 

Balance of EL and CL

26.           Next, the balance between EL and MTL. A few MPs have expressed concern about standards of EL among our pupils, and whether some of the proposed changes will weaken our EL capabilities.

27.           Our fundamental premise as we go forward is that we need varied approaches to implementing bilingualism.  We must look, first and foremost, at the needs of our students, assess what it is that would benefit them, and give them choices. Some will need a little more exposure to EL, others to CL. But for most students, it will not be possible to give them more of both. 

28.           The trade-offs between EL and CL are real, and not unique to us. Hong Kong switched its secondary schools in 1998 from the English medium to using Chinese (Cantonese) as the medium of instruction in the majority of secondary schools. In the short time since the change in policy, EL standards have fallen sharply. Many in HK are concerned about this fall in standards of EL among their young, because HK wants to remain a financial centre and an Asian hub for headquarters of international firms.  

29.           We have to keep our EL capabilities because it is, together with our MTLs, a source of real advantage to us as a global city in Asia.  We have to keep nurturing enough Singaporeans in each generation with a flair for the language, and give the majority of students a good, working competence in the English language.  

30.           EL is still a struggle for many Singaporeans, as Ms Irene Ng, Dr Ong Seh Hong, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Mr Sin Boon Ann and others have pointed out. Our university and poly lecturers complain about the standards of EL among their students, and their diffidence about expressing themselves. And as A/P Low Seow Chay noted from the MOE survey, more Sec 4 students find EL more difficult than CL , than the other way around. It is changing among the younger generation, more of whom come from EL-speaking homes.  At the Primary 2 level, more students now find CL harder than either EL or Mathematics. And this is precisely the generational shift that has prompted the changes being proposed in CL learning. But we have to bear in mind that even today in our primary schools, EL remains a challenge for a significant group of pupils. 

31.           We have to take account of this complexity in our language environment. We put in place the Learning Support Programme a decade ago, where students weak in EL reading and who therefore struggle to cope with school are pulled out of class for additional support at P1-P2 level.  Many teachers have also taken the initiative to design their own programmes and activities to give students opportunities to develop competence and confidence in EL, just as in CL.   I saw a group of students at CHIJ Kellock (Pri)  -  most of whom came from  average Singapore backgrounds  -  perform a full length adaptation of a Shakespearean play - A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They had trained for months.  They performed with perfect diction, with poise and with obvious enjoyment. One of the stars was in fact an EM3 girl. Their teachers found the change in the girls remarkable.  They had gained confidence in the language, and in themselves.

32.           It is with this broad perspective of the challenges we face in implementing bilingualism in a diverse Singaporean population, that the White Paper has proposed that we give schools some flexibility to apportion the time spent on the EL and MTL subjects.  It is educationally sound to allow schools this flexibility. Students who come from EL-speaking homes, with parents who are confident they can provide the necessary support in EL, may want to have a little more time in their MTL especially in the early years. On the other hand, those who speak mostly CL at home may want more time with EL.  They will be able to decide.

33.            Schools will likewise design the informal curriculum of the school to meet the needs of this diverse population. In many schools, there is scope for more informal activity using the MTL. As Mdm Halimah and Ms Irene Ng cautioned, schools can do more but have to ensure that we do not segregate pupils too often. The school has to remain the common space where all Singaporean childen intermingle, make friends, and learn together with each other. 

34.           In the SAP schools, where all students are engaged in learning CL, we can do more.  We will allow for a “SAP-Plus” programme in the early primary years. SAP schools will be free to enhance the CL environment and teach more subjects, for example Music, Health and PE, in Chinese during the early primary years, if it meets the needs of their students and parents are keen. It may be a few classes doing more subjects in CL or all classes in the standard, at P1-P2. Parents will decide. They must be confident to make up for a lower level of exposure to EL in the early primary years.  But we have to allow these variations in our school system, and not assume that there is one formula, one ratio of EL to CL in the primary school curriculum, that is good for all time and or all students. Many believe that CL, being a tonal, logographic language, is easier to pick up at an earlier age. We should allow this option of obtaining greater immersion in CL at an early age. And be willing to make further adjustments as we learn from experience on the ground.   

Progression to Higher Levels

35.           Members have also asked whether and how MTL grades will count in the progression of students to higher levels of education.  Dr Lily Neo asked whether CL will continue to be computed into the PSLE aggregate score; Mr Zainuddin Nordin asked how the changes would affect the choice of students’ school options; Dr Neo also asked if CL scores were being taken into account in the entrance criteria for the NUS medical faculty.

36.           MTL will continue to count in the PSLE, as it is now.  The new core curriculum for CL will provide a common foundation for all students.  The CL PSLE examination will be based on this core. 

37.           Secondary schools, however, have increased discretion in admitting their students.  Schools can now admit a percentage of their students based on other measures besides the PSLE. So students with a special talent in CL may well be considered by certain schools on the strengths of that talent, while students with a weak CL score but a special talent in other fields, academic or non-academic, will also be assessed by the schools they apply for.

38.           The next part of the picture is what happens after primary school.  To advance from secondary level to junior college or polytechnic, MTL has not been a required component of the aggregate score for entry to JC, we call this the L1R5 score.  Students who have done well in CL can include it in their score for JC entry.  Those taking HMTL may also substitute this for their EL grade - about 10% of students do this.

39.           The changes in January this year to the university admissions criteria are aligned with this.  So MTL is no longer a compulsory component to enter university, including the Medical faculty, unless again the student is applying for a CL-based course. 

40.           The approach at the secondary level and beyond is geared towards flexibility and choice, because forcing students to do well in MTL is no longer tenable at this level.  We have to recognise different abilities and talents, reward those who have done well in the MTL, but not penalise those for whom the MTL is not a key strength.  And as students grow older and take ownership of their learning, it is really intrinsic motivation to learn a language that has to sustain their efforts to keep learning a subject.  Our job is to help them cultivate that interest, not force them, or make them repeat a year as Mr Chiam See Tong suggested.

Next Steps: Implementation

41.           As numerous members have pointed out, Mr Seng Han Thong, Dr John Chen, Dr Lily Neo, Mr Gan Kim Yong and others, success in these changes will hinge on timely and thorough implementation, and clear communication and support from all stakeholders, in particular our teachers.

Progressive Change

42.           We must balance the desire to get on with the changes for the current generation of students with the need for adequate and thoughtful preparation.

43.           Mdm Cynthia Phua, Mr Gan Kim Yong and Mr Yeo Guat Kwang and some others had expressed the desire to see changes more quickly. 

44.           There can be no short-cuts or quick fixes for the fundamental changes that we have debated.  These changes will take time to implement and take root.  Preparation will require major curricular modification, textbook preparation, teacher training, and development of new assessment methods.  System-wide, we will implement the new curriculum at P1 and P4 from 2008, and work upwards from there.  Significant changes to the PSLE examination will follow in 2010.  To respond to Dr Gan See Khem, we are not doing away with examinations, but changing the modes of assessment and formats of our examinations.

45.             MOE will however make selective, interim changes in the meantime.  These changes will not involve any increased burden on students and teachers, as Mr Ong Kian Min was concerned about, but a reduced burden.

Removing Less Frequently-Occurring Characters from Character List

46.           First, MOE will review the current character lists over the next few months to remove the less commonly used characters. These less-frequently occurring characters will not be assessed in the PSLE and “O” Level Examination from 2005. MOE will communicate with schools early next year on this.

Reducing Curriculum Load

47.           As I mentioned in my opening speech, teachers also feel that the current CL syllabus is too packed.  This is widely-based feedback. MOE has therefore decided to reduce the syllabus load of CL and HCL.  We will start by cutting from the required syllabus, 10-15% of the passages in the new textbooks that are coming on stream from 2005.

Interim examination formats

48.           We will also make interim modifications to the examination formats for the PSLE and ‘O’-levels.  The interim formats will reduce the emphasis on character stroke memorisation.  These interim formats will be introduced from 2006 at both the PSLE and ‘O’-levels, before the revised curriculum is implemented in 2008.

49.           For this interim examination format, the weighting for the oral-aural components will be increased by 5%.  The PSLE oral-aural component will comprise 35%, and at ‘O’-levels, 30%.  Test items that require recall of individual words or phrases, and hence a copious amount of character memorisation, will be removed.  This includes items like 填写汉字(filling in the missing character) and 填写词语(filling in the missing word), in both the PSLE and ‘O’-levels. Details of the interim formats will be given to schools in Mar/Apr 2005.

50.           As recommended by the Committee, students will also be allowed to use more IT to facilitate the character-writing process.  MOE will pilot test the use of an electronic handheld device that enables conversion from pinyin to characters, in school-based examinations in 2006 before implementing it in national examinations in 2007.

Innovative Teaching Methods

51.           Taken together, these shifts will prepare the system – teachers, students, and parents – progressively for the revised curriculum in 2008.  The reduction in syllabuses and changes in the examination formats will give teachers more space to experiment and come up with engaging methods and materials to enthuse their students.  MOE will provide the training and professional support to help teachers do this.

52.           As Dr Lily Neo and Mr Yeo Guat Kwang advocated, MOE will provide platforms and opportunities for teachers to share their experiences and their teaching materials and ideas.  The principal platform for this sharing is at a cluster level, through CL Centres of Excellence.  There will also be ways of doing this nationally, such as through the competitions currently organised by the Chinese press and MOE.

53.           There is a fair amount we can do even within the current curriculum.  Already, there are many pockets of innovation in CL teaching in our own schools that we can learn from and which we should continue to encourage.  Teachers from primary school all the way to junior college have incorporated songs and drama into their lessons, introduced editing competitions and the like, to make CL learning more relevant and engaging to their students.  They are using everyday culture, not just traditional culture.  They are addressing what Dr Wang Kai Yuen called the competition between two languages for the minds of our young.  We have to start with knowing the minds of the young.  Mr Ang Thiam Poh, who is also a popular local comic artist, uses comics in his CL lessons at Tao Nan Primary School.  He draws the comics and his students contribute to the speech bubbles.

54.           In the schools I visit, it is often a CL teacher who is at the forefront of innovations in the classroom.  There is no lack of ideas among CL teachers.  What they need is the time to work out new strategies and the room to put these into practice. 

Teachers

55.           This brings me to the final issue, which is teachers.  Members have expressed concern over whether teachers support these changes, and very importantly, whether we have the quantity and quality of teacher resources required to make these changes.

Communication of changes

56.           During the course of this review, the Committee consulted teachers widely.  Members would be wrong to believe that teachers are resistant to the changes.  The majority of teachers have in fact been open and supportive of the changes. 

57.      , ;     Teachers are rightly concerned about how we will implement the changes.  But they have strongly validated the observations of the Committee on the problems we currently face in CL learning, and supported the key proposals.  To illustrate, well over 90% of the 1,000 teachers surveyed, supported the use of different methods to teach students from EL-speaking backgrounds in primary schools.  Without the support and buy-in of the teachers, some of these proposals would have been non-starters.

58.           In Oct, the Singapore Chinese Teachers’ Union released a public statement in response to the Committee’s preliminary recommendations.  Reflected in this statement, and the views we later received from the Singapore Chinese Middle School Teachers’ Association, CL HODs and teachers, is a belief that these are timely changes. 

59.           They support the flexibility of allowing pupils of different language backgrounds and abilities to achieve their full potential in CL. They also support changing the exam format to give teachers more space to devise new teaching methods.

60.           MOE will continue to communicate these changes to our teachers, including not only the HODs but the classroom teachers.  With 3,600 CL teachers, members will understand that this has to be a process.  In response to Mr Yeo Guat Kwang and Mr Ang Mong Seng, yes, we are producing a Chinese version of this report, which we will be providing to every CL teachers in January next year. 

61.           And as we are piloting and implementing the new curriculum, we will hold regular discussions to seek teachers’ feedback on the effectiveness of the new methods, and understand their concerns with implementation.

62.           Dr Khor and Dr Neo also expressed concern over the workload of CL teachers.  This is a valid issue, and the way we can address this is to make sure we have the sufficient quantity of well-trained teachers.

63.           As I set out at MOE’s press conference to accept these changes, MOE will make it a priority to boost the number of good recruits of our CL teaching force.  Apart from getting the right numbers, we will aim to achieve the right quality.  CL teachers must very importantly, have the content knowledge, in terms of language skills and knowledge of the culture, as well as the pedagogical skills to deliver an engaging and customised curriculum.

64.           NIE and MOE are now reviewing the pre-service training curriculum for CL teachers.  For example, modules to teach our trainee teachers how to teach students to listen, speak and read earlier, but in a meaningful and enjoyable way, will be included.  We will also continue to run workshops and conferences to introduce and train teachers in innovative teaching and assessment methods, and to spread best professional practices. 

65.           A structured training roadmap will be put in place for CL teachers, depending on their needs.  The Committee had found that younger teachers, being products of our bilingual policy, are in general not as strong in their language competence as the older CL teachers.  So NIE and MOE will work on modules that new CL teachers will take during their first year of teaching, so as to boost their content competence.

66.           CL teachers who are already in-service will be provided with at least three core courses [that cover language, culture or pedagogy] every 5 years.  More experienced teachers would probably choose to focus on latest developments in pedagogy and assessment techniques.

67.           In addition, CL teachers who are interested in professional upgrading can also do so through the modules offered as part of the Professional Development Continuum modules, which are available to all teachers, that NIE recently established.  These modules will allow CL teachers to attain higher professional certification, such as a Masters Degree or Advanced Postgraduate Diploma over several years, by taking accredited courses at NIE. 

Pre-School

68.           Over the past three days, members, including Dr Amy Khor, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Mr Ang Mong Seng, have pointed out the importance of aligning the pre-school and revised primary CL curriculum. MOS Chan Soo Sen held a dialogue session recently with representatives from the pre-school sector. Their response to the changes was positive. MOE will continue to engage with the pre-school CL teachers to communicate the changes through briefing and training sessions.  We will collaborate with them in developing a curriculum framework for CL learning in the early childhood years that makes learning fun and allows children to gain confidence in listening and speaking CL.

Processes to Implement and Engage with Key Stakeholders

69.           The face of bilingualism will change with each generation of Singaporeans as our society evolves, and as the dynamics of Asia and the world evolves.  Just as bilingualism today presents different challenges quite different to bilingualism 4 decades ago, and in ways no one could have anticipated, we cannot tell what challenges, or opportunities, bilingualism will present two decades from now, and what methods and strategies we will need to make it succeed.  What we do know is that we must be flexible and responsive with our strategies.  We have to keep an open mind, keep listening to teachers on the ground, and never assume that we have got it right for all time.

70.           The two committees that MOE has appointed have large tasks ahead of them – one to implement the changes in MOE and schools, the other to engage and involve all our stakeholders in promoting CL learning.   

Conclusion

71.           The journey we are taking will require the support of everyone – teachers, students, parents the media and community organisations.  We have to pull together as we make this long term shift.

72.           We will adapt our strategies and develop the resources to make sure we succeed.  We will do likewise to ensure that ML and TL continue to thrive for generations to come.  We have to make sure bilingualism succeeds, that it gives Singaporeans our unique sense of identity, preserves a multicultural society that all Singaporeans take pride in, and that it continues to earn us our place in the world.

73.           The Whip has been lifted, and I hope Members will vote with conviction and give their full support to the changes proposed. A clear parliamentary vote of support will send a strong signal of the broad-based support and commitment necessary for the successful implementation of the recommendations.