A small-scale pilot will be launched at two new pre-schools by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to study the impact on young children when they have more exposure to mother tongue language (MTL) activities.
From 2025, Kindergarten 1 children attending the upcoming MOE Kindergarten @ Hougang and MOE Kindergarten @ Elias Park will have an extra 30 minutes of Chinese, Malay or Tamil learning each day.
Currently, MOE kindergarten children spend one hour on MTL activities daily. With the pilot, the daily MTL curriculum duration at the two centres will go up to 1½ hours. The extra 30 minutes will increase the overall schooling hours, rather than be implemented at the expense of other subjects, MOE said.
“The pilot aims to build a strong MTL foundation for our children from a young age, and nurture their interest to learn MTL,” said a spokesperson for MOE in response to queries from The Straits Times.
The ministry will evaluate the impact of the pilot to see if it should be expanded to more MOE kindergartens.
Ms Ariel Ng, 41, whose four-year-old son Aden Lim is in MOE Kindergarten @ Mayflower, said having more MTL exposure would be beneficial.
“One hour of MTL (a day) is definitely not enough, and I was thinking of sending him to a Chinese enrichment class,” said the quality specialist, who speaks a mix of English and Mandarin to her son at home.
Some other pre-schools also conduct about one hour of MTL lessons daily for their students. Their operators say there is no intention at the moment to increase the curriculum.
At PAP Community Foundation’s (PCF) 354 Sparkletots centres, children in K1 and K2 (aged five to six) get an hour of formal MTL lessons daily, while those in N1 and N2 (aged three to four) have 20 to 30 minutes.
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin February 25, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin February 25, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
'Football died' when Klopp joined Red Bull
BERLIN - Jurgen Klopp's decision to join Red Bull as their Global Head of Soccer has sparked strong reactions from many German fans.
ALCARAZ IN 'CRAZY' LOSS TO MACHAC
Spaniard can’t believe opponent’s level after defeat scuppers rematch with Italian Sinner
New arrivals at FIA after high-profile departures
LONDON Formula One's governing body announced two senior appointments after headline departures triggered talk of an exodus from the International Automobile Federation (FIA) led by Emirati Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
OLYMPIC RINGS OF FIRE OVER EIFFEL TOWER
French minister plans to wrest control of landmark from Paris mayor amid logo row
EVEREST CLIMBS TO GROUP 1 HEIGHTS
World’s richest sprint race gains recognition at its eighth running, as well as All-Star Mile
Heat stress Different work conditions require flexible guidelines on workers' attire
We thank Mr Rahul Gupta for his suggestions (Study standard heat-friendly work clothes for outdoor workers, Oct 8).
Airbus deliveries drop as suppliers struggle
PARIS Airbus deliveries fell 9 per cent in September to 50 jets compared with the same month in 2023, the European planemaker said on Oct 9, rekindling a debate over the strength of its industrial goals as suppliers struggle to keep up with demand.
Mental health ambassadors at all PAP branches by 2025
By 2025, all 93 People's Action Party (PAP) branches will have mental health ambassadors to promote mental well-being in every neighbourhood and support the work of MPs in addressing residents' mental health concerns.
Zelensky says there is 'real chance' to end war in 2025
He did not reveal how this could happen but is counting on support from key allies
Prabowo defends plan to expand government with ‘fat' Cabinet
JAKARTA Indonesia's Presidentelect Prabowo Subianto has defended his plan to expand government agencies, saying it is needed for a strong administration even if critics call it a \"fat\" Cabinet that will bloat the bureaucracy.