平衡看待双语优势

Excerpts of speech by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry & Education, at the 8th National Primary Schools On-the-Spot Chinese Composition Competition last Saturday.

　　Bilingualism is an important feature of our education system. It is as important for the future as it has been for the past. Learning the English language, and learning it well, will give all of you a good future. It will allow you to reach out to a world of knowledge and technology, and make the best use of it. It will help you do well in the future, and help ensure that Singapore continues to be successful.

　　We also learn English so that we can communicate and feel at ease with each other in Singapore, and learn from each other’s cultures.

　　To understand the importance of English, just look at China. All their primary school students are now learning English. In the cities, they start learning English at Primary One. In the countryside, they start at Primary Three. And there is huge demand for English language training among those who have already left school - either because they did not have a chance to learn the language earlier or because they are trying to achieve a higher command of the language.

　　In 10-15 years time, Chinese students will be leaving school with a reasonably good standard of English - very likely better than the Japanese and several other Asian countries. They will be able to interact more freely and comfortably with the West, and learn more quickly from the Western countries. It will give them a new competitive advantage.

　　We must continue to be proficient and confident in our command of English. But it is equally important that we place emphasis on our mother tongues. They provide us with anchors in a world of change - change that will be rapid and often confusing. They allow us to tap the deep reservoirs of wisdom that each of our cultures possesses.

　　And knowledge of your own culture allows you to learn about other cultures with confidence. Our mother tongues will allow us to be a global city, reaching out to the world, without losing a sense of confidence and pride in our own identity.

　　Another advantage of being comfortable in our mother tongues is that these languages, too, have economic value. Today, for instance, those having a good grasp of Mandarin find it easier to build relationships within China, and do good business with China. Relating with the Chinese in English will not be the same as relating in Mandarin - even as the Chinese become more comfortable speaking in English.

　　Not everyone can excel in their mother tongue language, and not everyone will put it to economic use. As a nation, however, we have to make sure that we have a large pool of people who are not just competent but highly competent in the mother tongue languages, and deeply immersed in their cultures. It will give us both cultural and economic advantage as a society.

　　I therefore encourage you to take both English and your mother tongue language very seriously. They are both good for your future. Those who are able to should also try and pick up at least a casual knowledge of another Singapore language, besides their mother tongue. It will open for you another window into Singapore’s rich multi-cultural life, and a window to new friendships.