February 13, 2026

Bilingualism has long been touted as the bedrock of Singapore’s linguistic landscape, underpinning the nation’s shared identity and cohesion. In 1996, Singapore’s bilingualism policy went into effect, institutionalising the learning of English and one of the ethnic mother tongues languages (MTLs). English was adopted as the interethnic lingua franca, where it promoted social cohesion among the diverse populations and enhanced Singapore’s competitiveness on the global stage. The pervasive influence of English has resulted in it becoming the dominant language for many Singaporeans, particularly the younger generation, who often demonstrate greater proficiency in English than their respective ethnic mother tongue languages.  

According to the 2020 Census, the use of English as the language most frequently spoken at home increased from 32.3% in 2010 to 48.3% in 2020, while the use of Mandarin dwindled from 35.6% in 2010 to 29.9% in 2020. In ‘Salvaging Mandarin Education in Singapore Through Community’ (Current Issues in Language Planning, 2023) Associate Professor Lee Cher Leng (NUS Chinese Studies) and Associate Professor Phua Chiew Pheng (NUS Chinese Studies) investigate how the Singapore government has responded to the increasing use of English at home and the resulting implications for Mandarin education. One of the key reasons Mandarin is less taught in Singapore schools can be traced back to the 1979 Goh Report, led by then Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee. The report identified three main shortcomings in the education system, one of which was ineffective bilingualism. To address this, Goh’s team recommended fostering an English-speaking environment within the bilingual education system. This approach involved reducing the language exposure time for Mandarin. While this addressed educational challenges at the time, it indubitably marginalised Mandarin in the long term. 

In recent years, with a significant rise in ethnic Chinese Primary One students speaking predominantly English at home, the government has adopted a two-pronged approach: making Mandarin learning in schools more accessible and enjoyable, and promoting community-led initiatives to encourage the use of Mandarin outside the classroom. The Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL) was established in 2005 to rally support from communities to create a conducive environment for the learning of the three MT languages, outside of formal schooling contexts. Reading campaigns, scriptwriting competitions, cultural performance exposure schemes, and singing competitions were organised to foster enthusiasm for Mandarin. Alongside community-based initiatives, schools have organised MTL fortnight programmes since 2011 to create an immersive MTL learning experiences. 

The Singapore government’s approach to Chinese language education demonstrates an informed model for dynamically managing the status of less prominently taught languages over time. Faced with the declining use of Mandarin at home, the government has continuously refined the curriculum to provide better integration of community learning approaches to complement conventional classroom instruction. Ultimately, the aim is to cultivate Mandarin as a vibrant tongue used actively in daily life, rather than just academically. 

Read the full article here.