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Aug 13, 2009
Old Fart: Sinkie slaves must be bilingual; FT pets no need
By Clarissa Oon, culture vulture and Goh Chin Lian
'The command of English is a decisive factor for the career path and promotion prospects of all Singaporeans,' Mr Lee said. -- ST PHOTO
ENGLISH will remain Singapore's master language even as the country nurtures more bilingual talents who can do business with China, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said on Thursday.
'The command of English is a decisive factor for the career path and promotion prospects of all Singaporeans.
'For Chinese Singaporeans, Mandarin will be an added economic advantage with a thriving economy in China for many years to come,' he said.
Even new residents from China know they will not go far without an adequate grasp of English, he added.
'And they are pushing their children to master English, otherwise they will be disadvantaged in getting places in our good schools and universities, and in getting scholarships and eventually jobs.'
However, he drew the line at making it a requirement for permanent residents and new citizens to be fluent in English.
'We cannot make (the requirements for residency) so onerous that they will not come, for example, by requiring permanent residents or new citizens to be fluent in English, which even some existing citizens are not.'
His remarks at a constituency dinner follows a recent debate in The Straits Times Forum pages on whether Mandarin is slowly replacing English as the language on the streets, and its consequences for Singapore's multi-racial society.
Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.
Latest comments
typical of PAP thinking... there is always only TWO options. Now is to be either totally fluent or zero proficiency in English.... the last time was either the Job Credit Scheme or CPF deduction. very strange one... cannot think outside the box one...despite being paid millions.
Posted by: lobo_respawned at Thu Aug 13 23:56:34 SGT 2009
Aug 13, 2009
Old Fart: Sinkie slaves must be bilingual; FT pets no need
By Clarissa Oon, culture vulture and Goh Chin Lian
'The command of English is a decisive factor for the career path and promotion prospects of all Singaporeans,' Mr Lee said. -- ST PHOTO
ENGLISH will remain Singapore's master language even as the country nurtures more bilingual talents who can do business with China, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said on Thursday.
'The command of English is a decisive factor for the career path and promotion prospects of all Singaporeans.
'For Chinese Singaporeans, Mandarin will be an added economic advantage with a thriving economy in China for many years to come,' he said.
Even new residents from China know they will not go far without an adequate grasp of English, he added.
'And they are pushing their children to master English, otherwise they will be disadvantaged in getting places in our good schools and universities, and in getting scholarships and eventually jobs.'
However, he drew the line at making it a requirement for permanent residents and new citizens to be fluent in English.
'We cannot make (the requirements for residency) so onerous that they will not come, for example, by requiring permanent residents or new citizens to be fluent in English, which even some existing citizens are not.'
His remarks at a constituency dinner follows a recent debate in The Straits Times Forum pages on whether Mandarin is slowly replacing English as the language on the streets, and its consequences for Singapore's multi-racial society.
Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.
Latest comments
typical of PAP thinking... there is always only TWO options. Now is to be either totally fluent or zero proficiency in English.... the last time was either the Job Credit Scheme or CPF deduction. very strange one... cannot think outside the box one...despite being paid millions.
Posted by: lobo_respawned at Thu Aug 13 23:56:34 SGT 2009
