Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Education (a) what are the parameters for deciding on offerings for mother tongue languages (MTLs) in Secondary schools; and (b) what are the reasons for not requiring all Secondary schools to offer classes for all three official MTLs (Chinese, Malay and Tamil).
Mr Chan Chun Sing: The provision of mother tongue language (MTL) instruction in a school is dependent on factors such as the availability of MTL teachers and the number of students offering the MTL. Currently, all secondary school students who offer Chinese Language or Malay Language can access instruction within their school. Tamil Language (TL) instruction is available in most but not all secondary schools, due to the very limited supply of TL teachers and the very small TL student enrolment in some schools.
Ministry of Education
11 January 2022
https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/sprs3topic?reportid=written-answer-9789
Office of the Leader of the Opposition 