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Chinese or malay Differentiated learning will destroy further the ecology of chinese language eventually 

Can Tao Nan  Primary School be a leading light for Singapore’s Chinese language education despite 80% of students speak english at home? 

Today 19 th May 2010,  Our state propaganda machinery the Channel eight (a division of Singapore Media Corp) mentioned and showed very flimsy examples of mother tongue being alive and well  . It also said  that mother tongue is alive and well, with enrollment extending from 80 to 90. Is this dead on target. It is truthful that if we use this magnifying glass and look at this very small number, it is indeed increasing. From 80 to 90 students, not bad, in a country of 5 million population right? This is a  laughable  . 

But if you investigate around Singapore , Very few people speaks Chinese anymore. It’s not the fault of parents as the government deliberately kill the Chinese language . Chinese education is ousted from the mainstream and sidelined. 

Language is culture, most linguists concur  .

Are we seriously at risk of  sacrificing not only our Chinese culture, but to the economic engine that is CHINA?

Chinese language is not well

Singapore where 70% are  of the Chinese ethnic group  and in such  Chinese people’s households  , 70% speak english . Within this group , some persistently hate learning about their chinese heritage. 

You call that well? This Issue  is rather  serious amongst chinese families  in Singapore. 

Singapore older Generation politicians should genuinely promote mother tongue (not just chinese language)

As the  saying goes, FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS… and begin with the end in mind. If students do not need to pass Mother tongue in order to rank well for Secondary school, Tamil  langauge  falter.

Like they say, aim too low and you will fail.

Let’s keep the standards, passing grades, rating and ranking high and students will find a way to master the language. And parents alike will pay more focus to it. 

The war is not over. The singapore government has backed off changing mother tongue percentage weight but would still like to promote Differentiated teaching to gradually encroach on the language  . Let all the children study in one single class in a one standardized teaching. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work for all. Thus a solution must be found. Rather than the divide and conquer tactics of differentiated learning.

One of the most damning   policy soon to be implemented regarding of differentiated teaching is to TEACH CHINESE using ENGLISH language as a medium!! !

This can come in many forms. Singapore government cannot hoodwink the people about promoting mother tongue while it is killing it and  about how important mother tongue is and yet there is hardly any chance to use Chinese language or malay or Tamil in routine life.

While we all acknowledge   that English is the language that gels all races in Singapore, we cannot and shall not sit idly while mother tongue witters away. In this case, it is not wittering away, but being chopped away!!! I remember during my grand mother’s time, she spoke cantonese, Hokkien, Malay, some english and some teochew . Did we have an issue?

In fact we think that in Schools, there should be a compulsory module for chinese to learn 20 hours of Malay and 20 hours of tamil. And likewise for Malays to learn 20 hours of Chinese and Tamil and for the tamils learn 20 hours of Malay and Chinese.

How many of our Ministers  can  Converse in   Chinese Fluently?

If you seriously look at the composition of our parliament, they are over-represented by people who speak predominantly English. Some of them even clamber to speak in Chinese (if they are chinese). The Malay member of parliament  are better, they at least can speak Malay fluently. We respect them even if they cannot speak Chinese language.

Having such people as MP will only send the WRONG picture about learning Mother Tongue that the RICH and powerful speaks English and those poor and not so educated Speak mandarin Chinese or dialects.

SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT PANDERS TO THE MORE WELL OFF???
There has been statement that 95% of students are okay (as they pass) with the current Mother Tongue language levels at PSLE. So if 95% of the students have no problem, why is the government saying that there is some issue?

Are they seriously trying to win over the parents of the 5% who faces problems with mother tongue? This surely is not MERITOCRATIC, neither is it fair. Maybe the government would have a better explanation.

The excuse that Different population composition  CHANGES FORCE variety

(The local Singaporeans   did not vote for massive immigration, mind you)

Many times, the government has been saying that with the influx of immigration , Singapore education ministry  cannot afford to  teaching Chinese at high standard  , they cannot teach malay at high standard  and tamil at high standard  . But let’s face it, this is Singapore. And Singapore is for Singaporeans shouldn’t it be? We welcome foreign talents, but Singaporeans must take precedence over expats or PRs  As more immigrants come into Singapore, surely Singapore has to widen the mother tongue to include Hindi and maybe Tagalog and who knows, maybe even some western based languages.

But until they become Singaporeans and until they serve national service or it’s equivalent, the  Singapore’s English slanging ministers better listen up  , or else  the smart people will know what to do in the  Coming  election, if there is one.

These days, even Nanyang Primary school students hardly speak chinese even as it was one of the last fortress standing for chinese education in singapore

Now, let the DOG wag the tail and not let the tail wag the dog.