mother tongue Bilingualism is a cornerstone of Singapore’s education system, and since 1966, the learning of ‘mother tongues’ has been compulsory for Singaporean students. For economic reasons, and because of the country’s multiracial character, Singaporeans have accepted English as the lingua franca, and as the working language of government and business. However, to ensure that they remain connected to their ancestral cultures and values, students are required to study one of three mother tongues— Mandarin, Malay or Tamil. Ethic Indian students have a choice of studying Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi or Urdu, instead of Tamil. Every Singaporean is encouraged to study his or her mother tongue in school for as long as possible and to as high a level as possible. Admission to local universities is dependent upon successful completion of this requirement. The policy has transformed the linguistic profile of Singapore society since the mid- 1960s, one consequence being the near- elimination of Chinese dialects within the Chinese community.

The Ministry of Education completed a major review of the curriculum for the teaching of mother tongues in 2005, and has announced plans to implement the recommendations of this review in phases. These recommendations include helping students develop a love for their mother tongue by encouraging them to actually use it, rather than just learn it for examinations.