Push for trilingual students: Language boon or barrier?

Incentives for students to pick up Malay were introduced at the National Day Rally. Will the move go down well?

Published

It simply makes economic sense

PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said that thus far, only one school has expressed interest in offering Bahasa Indonesia as a third language in its curriculum.

It’s a worrying uptake rate, considering that trade between Singapore and Indonesia is ever increasing.

Statistics from IE Singapore published in the 2007 Yearbook of Statistics Singapore indicate that total trade with Indonesia totalled $62.9 billion last year – fourth, after Malaysia, the United States and China.

Trade with Japan took fifth spot; Germany, 11th; and France, 16th, with $55.2 billion, $21.2 billion and $13.5 billion respectively. So, economically speaking, there is less incentive to learn these languages.

The emphasis on Malay, however, comes as Singapore assumes the chairmanship of Asean. Inclusiveness is high on the agenda, and the Education Ministry is following up by devoting more resources to encourage learners of Bahasa Indonesia.

If we are to embrace our closest neighbours, ‘catch the wind’, and ‘ride the wave’ forward, schools need to seize the day too.

Sanjay Nanwani, 20, will be reading Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University

Three’s a crowd for average Joe

IF SINGAPOREANS are already struggling to be effectively bilingual, how feasible will it be for us to be trilingual?

Young people who dislike their mother tongue may probably be uninterested in their Asian heritage. Forcing them to pick up another Asian tongue will be counter-productive.

Moreover, if the third language is optional, how many of us will actually take up the offer?

Only top students qualify for the special programmes. The average Joe who struggles academically will be unable to join even if he has linguistic potential.

Unless those in the programme are truly interested, they will probably use the language only during lessons. There will not be enough practice.

Owen Yeo, 19, has a place to read social sciences at the Singapore Management University

Don’t forget the Indian tongues

I AM not entirely comfortable with the language programmes discussed during the National Day Rally. While the move to reach out to the region is laudable, it brings with it other disturbing connotations.

The Indian languages have been completely ignored in the current proposal. If Indian Singaporeans are an equal part of charting Singapore’s path, is not then their language of communication equally crucial?

No other motive has been given for learning Chinese besides economic and political ones, while the desire for more Singaporeans to understand Malay is due to a need to interact with our neighbours.

Are our culture and roots alone insufficient to pursue such knowledge for our shared good?

Tris Pruetthipunthu, 23, is a third-year law student at the National University of Singapore (NUS)

Learning Malay to access Islamic culture

ISLAM and Muslim states are becoming increasingly influential, both on the domestic front and internationally. Within the region, especially, there is an increasing need to better understand our neighbours.

Learning Malay will not only give us greater access to studying the wave sweeping through the region, but increase Singaporeans’ regional mobility too.

With economic and political incentives to engage them, the language can give insight into different perspectives, including the understanding of Islam as a religion and culture.

The bonus? Different perspectives on issues such as rapid expansion of trade and bilateral ties with the Middle East, as well as the ongoing war against terrorism, among others.

There may be fears that Islamicisation and a resurgence of faith in public life may strain our racial cohesion, but a shared language is a step in the right direction.

Nurul Aziah Hussin, 21, is a third-year law student at NUS

Lessons go beyond the classroom

I HAVE learnt three lessons from 12 years of Chinese classes.

First, the Chinese phrase for teacher – lao shi – when mispronounced, can result in calling your teacher a rat. Detention then beckons.

Second, I thought I was inept at languages. This lesson, however, proved instead to be an oversight, which would not have been discovered if not for Italy’s World Cup victory last year and my overwhelming love for pasta.

Nothing prepared me for the revelation that I had found something that was more than a hobby. Italian is not the only language I have picked up since; Japanese and French have followed.

While I would not go as far as to discuss foreign policy in Italian, one thing is for sure – I’m enjoying my language lessons far more than I ever did Chinese lessons.

So here is Lesson Three: Do not allow mandatory requirements or incentives to deflect your interest. Who knows how many doors you will be closing on yourself?

Alicia Ng, 23, is a final-year accountancy student at the Singapore Management University

Save the endangered Eurasian languages

CONSIDER the language of another of Singapore’s official races – the Eurasians.

The majority of the Eurasian community in Singapore are descendants of the genti Kristang, or Kristang people, mainly from the Portuguese settlement in Malacca.

Their language, Kristang, has been deemed endangered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), in its Red Book Of Endangered Languages.

As a melting pot of cultures, and a nation that recognises and rejoices in our cultural diversities, perhaps there is forgotten value in preserving this aspect of our culture too.

Adrienne de Souza, 20, is a third-year biology student at Imperial College London

Best Of The Rest

The danger of incentivisation

PM LEE, proclaiming that “Singaporeans love incentives”, has decided to offer two bonus points to students who take up Malay or Mandarin as a third language. Whilst one can appreciate the good intentions behind this policy, it is prudent to question the wisdom in offering such an incentive.

An incentive’s design is critical in shaping the responsive behaviour of the population. Over-emphasis on academic grades may exacerbate the prevalent paper-chase phenomenon in our society, disrupting the government’s vision of an inclusive education system which focuses on the process of learning, and the recognition of non-academic merit.

It is instead desirable to foster solutions to perceived shortfalls without the need for incentives. The government should preferably illustrate the benefits and explain the need for learning a third regional language, as this ensures that only genuinely-interested and capable students take up and accordingly excel in the language.

Sanjiv Nanwani, 20, will be studying Government and Economics at the London School of Economics

Explore posts in the same categories: My Life

Tags: Adrienne de Souza, Alicia Ng, Nurul Aziah Hussin, Owen Yeo, Sanjay Nanwani, Sanjiv Nanwani, Tris Pruetthipunthu

You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.