Should Singapore Pre-Schools be bilingual?

Teach them to learn and appreciate their mother tongues even before they start formal schooling – that is the new focus of the Education Ministry in bringing bilingual education to pre-schoolers.

This school of thought seems to blend with studies by experts which have shown that initial stages of a child’s development are the most receptive period of the mind.

Indeed the mind is best able to absorb a new language between birth and age seven, and you have a very compelling motivation for getting them started young.

Processing the sounds and words of different languages is hard work. But when the child is placed in an environment encouraging their language development, you can see the magic unfold. Black, yellow or red, the child speaks the language of his/her environment.

Leading players in Singapore’s pre-school education scene have been actively expanding their presence overseas, with their bilingual education system highly-regarded and well-received in many regional markets.

Indeed, bilingual education has always been an integral part of the Singapore education system- from the point considered compulsory when the children begin their primary years until they move into tertiary education.

Now with the emphasis on bilingualism in pre-schools, it will further amplify Singapore’s status as a holistic education hub with educational excellence.

Singapore schools are sought after for their expertise in a variety of bilingual education programmes and projects- Why? Singapore’s education system is constantly reinventing itself and ushering in new creative approaches to enhance the learning of languages in our schools.

And now, with the emphasis of bilingual education at the pre-school level, this will be an initiative that all pre-school providers will actively work towards and engage themselves in.

As young children have a phenomenal ability to absorb language, pre-schools must make every effort to give each child as much and precise vocabulary as possible.
The process of absorbing, communicating and expressing should be encouraged whether individually or in a group.
With keen learning of the language at pre-school level, it becomes easier for children to assimilate and appreciate the language as they grow older and progress to the next higher level of formal education.

Starting language development from young is always encouraged as imposing languages to children who are older at primary or secondary levels may prove rather difficult. It may even dishearten students who may otherwise have excellent linguistic skills.

Language development also imparts heritage and cultural values. As such, the teaching of mother tongue is important in transmitting of important literary and moral values of different ethnic groups to their young.

Character-building
Bilingual education also builds character, inculcates a sense of identity and heightens the child’s self-esteem as an individual in the learning process..

This is a big plus for the Singapore Government’s ongoing initiative towards enhancing character building among our students.

Some pre-school providers have seamlessly introduced this into their curriculum. Such examples can be seen with activities where children learn calligraphy, Chinese folk tales and celebrate Chinese festivals to expose them and increase their understanding of the Chinese heritage and values such as respect, filial piety, social responsibility, diligence and etc.

Being bilingual allows our young to be independent and versatile to prepare them for the real world.

Economic value
In addition to the cultural and moralistic values, bilingualism also has its economic value.

A bilingual education has for many years provided Singapore with the competitive edge in the business world. Singapore is often seen as the bridge between the East and the West. The rise of China and India as economic powers further enhances Singapore’s position as a city with its multi cultural and multi linguistic facets.

Language skills will always be an added advantage in today’s fast changing and cosmopolitan world. An effective bilingual education is a step in the right direction and will most definitely prepare our young to be global learners.

Dr T. Chandroo, Chairmman, MMI GROUP