Attitudes of Students from Special Assistance Plan Schools towards Inclusivity

1 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry has conducted a study on students from Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools for their attitudes towards inclusivity and respect for people of different cultural backgrounds; (b) if so, to what extent do the results of these studies diverge from those of students from non-SAP schools; and (c) if not, whether the Ministry will consider conducting such a study.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education (Ms Low Yen Ling) (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, before I answer the Member’s Parliamentary Question (PQ), it is useful to remind ourselves about the origins of SAP schools.

We are a diverse, immigrant society. In the early years of our Independence, we established English as the common working language for multi-cultural Singapore, as a practical arrangement, to access global economic opportunities and create jobs for Singaporeans.

Recognising this, parents started sending their children to English schools and as a result, enrolment for Chinese-medium schools fell drastically in the 1970s and 1980s.

Hence, in 1979, the Government established SAP schools, to preserve the ethos of Chinese-medium schools and promote the learning of the language and its culture, while still using English as the primary language of instruction.

Mr Speaker, Sir, SAP schools did not start as popular schools. On the contrary, they were established as part of a struggle to preserve the Chinese language and culture. But over the years, with the dedicated efforts of the schools and the support of the community, and helped by the rise of China, they have become more popular.

Education in Singapore reflects the diversity of our society. We make bilingualism a cornerstone of our education policy. We offer opportunities for students to pursue MTL at a higher level – not just through SAP schools, but also through the Elective Programme in Malay Language for Secondary Schools (EMAS), Language Elective Programmes for Chinese, Malay and Tamil, and the National Elective Tamil Programme. Government schools, clan-based and religiously-affiliated schools, SAP schools and designated schools like the madrasahs all co-exist in our education landscape.

At the same time, we ensure that our students get to learn about the languages and cultures of other communities. National programmes, such as Values in Action and the Outward Bound School, offer our students the chance to forge bonds across communities and social groups.

Likewise, SAP schools make substantial efforts to encourage and build the students’ understanding of other cultures, through inter-school, cluster-based and community-based activities such as camps, festive celebrations and dialogues. Almost all SAP schools teach their students conversational Malay.

All these efforts have an impact. A 2018 study found that there is no difference in the attitudes of Secondary school students in SAP and non-SAP schools towards people from different backgrounds and cultures.

MOE will continue our efforts in this area. So, regardless of what school we are from – be it SAP, independent, clan or mission-based – we must do our part to forge a united Singapore.

Mr Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Thank you, Sir, and I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the reply. I understand that we teach the students at SAP schools about other cultures, other languages and that there is social mixing between the schools. But could I ask what would be MOE's efforts to ensure that there is social mixing within the school?

Ms Low Yen Ling: Mr Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the Member for his supplementary question. So, he is asking about social mixing within the school and not about across different schools. Mr Speaker, Sir, allow me to reiterate that SAP schools remain relevant and there is a reason why I am explaining this.

SAP schools remain relevant from the broader perspective of an evolving multi-cultural Singapore, amidst a changing global dynamic. We all know Asia is the fastest growing region in the world and we all know China is our largest trading partner. We also know that as countries around us catch up in the learning of multiple languages, bilingualism may no longer be a unique advantage that Singaporeans possess. That is why we certainly would want to continue to preserve and improve on the programmes that promote the learning of Mother Tongue Languages as much as possible. I have cited what are the various types of schools in our very diverse education landscape.

SAP schools are uniquely positioned to immerse the students in an environment that is rich in Chinese language and culture, with the aim of developing effectively bilingual, bi-cultural talents, given the context that I have explained earlier. But I also want to re-assure the Member, that within the schools, the students do not just learn Chinese language and English language. If they want to learn the Malay language, they would be given as much support to do so. For example, they can learn Malay language or Bahasa Indonesia as a third language at the MOE Language Centre or take up the Malay Special Programme at the Zonal Centre or within the school.

I am happy to update the Member that within the school itself, for example, for the SAP Secondary schools – we have 11 of them – seven of them have their own in-house Malay Special Programme. So, seven out of 11 SAP Secondary schools implement their Malay Special Programme within the school. It also allows for social mixing as they learn the Malay language within the same school.

Furthermore, we have made Conversational Malay available in almost all SAP schools. This is important because it opens up the ability of our SAP school students to appreciate the Malay language and culture, and then, equips them with the skills to communicate, not just with students within the same school but also with peers from other schools and the community, and also, from the region.

I want to assure the Member that the SAP schools will continue to encourage their students to interact with peers within the school and peers from other schools as well as from the community, and give them multiple platforms to learn about and also to interact with other cultures, so that we can forge an inclusive and united Singapore.

Mr Speaker: Minister Ong.

The Minister for Education (Mr Ong Ye Kung): I think if we are honest and we just look around us, look around the world, in a country where there is a majority community, they will tend to insist that the language that the majority speaks becomes the national language and then, school instruction becomes in that language. You do not have to look very far – just look around us.

In Singapore, we have majority of one community but we have decided we shall be a multi-racial country. And therefore, we use English, that is neutral to all, a common language for everyone. But having done that, let us make sure we respect the fact that every community also values their own language, customs, culture. This is why within our education system, different kinds of schools – from SAP schools to clan-based, church-based ones, specially-designated madrasah schools, the Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre – they all exist as part of our education landscape.

This is how we reconcile as a country the fact that we all have multiple levels of identity. Two important ones are: first, we are all Singaporeans; second, we are also a member of our ethnic community. Therefore, there is a place for all these schools.

So, within SAP schools, there is a downside – as the Member mentioned – which is that there are less opportunities to interact with members of other races. But we live in Singapore! So, let us be realistic. If you are a student in a SAP school and you feel that you do not have the opportunities, come, volunteer for the Member of Parliament! We have plenty of opportunities. Just get into the community, visit the hawker centres – this is Singapore. You do not have to confine yourself to just revolving around your classrooms.

I think SAP schools can do more. I would say that they can do more and they have been doing more. Visiting several SAP schools, I am actually quite glad and amazed at the efforts they have taken to teach Conversational Malay. Many SAP school students – Senior Parliamentary Secretary Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim has met some of them – are speaking very fluent Malay, and are able to go out to the community and interact with people.

So, be mindful that in Singapore, do not take extreme positions. We all have multiple levels of identity; they are all important to us, but we have always managed that and we are a society that is, a work in progress.