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SINGAPORE - Former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has kickstarted a fund to promote bilingualism in education with a pledge to donate S$12 million, and hopes the fund will eventually reach S$100 million.
Speaking at the launch of his new book, My Lifelong Challenge: Singapore's Bilingual Journey, Mr Lee said the money will be used to expose pre-schoolers to both English and their mother tongue in the first few years of their life.
He will donate S$2 million to the fund - called the Lee Kuan Yew Bilingualism Fund - from the proceeds of his latest book's sales. He will autograph 200 special edition copies of the book, which will be sold at a minimum of S$10,000.
He will also add another S$10 million of his own money.
The money will supplement efforts by the Education Ministry, which is currently reviewing guidelines on teaching mother tongue languages in pre-schools. The guidelines are expected to be released next year.
For a start, it will fund initiatives targeted at pre-schoolers. Donations to the fund will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Government, up to a cap of S$50 million.
With more Singaporeans coming from predominantly English-speaking homes - from one in 10 families in 1980 to six in 10 last year - Mr Lee is concerned that fluency in the mother tongue, especially among the Chinese, will decrease as a result of the growing dominance of the English language.
Calling it his "lifelong challenge", Mr Lee spoke about the struggles he faced - both personally and politically - to transform Singapore into a bilingual nation.
He reveals in his book why he did away with vernacular schools despite violent political resistance, why he closed Nanyang University, and why he later started Special Assistance Plan schools.
Recalling a sit-in by pro-communist activists in 1956 after the arrest of student leaders and closure of Chinese High School and Chung Cheng High School, Mr Lee said he had high regards for the discipline and seriousness of purpose in life amongst Chinese school students displayed compared to English school students.
Mr Lee said: "After watching this drama of the sit-in at Chinese High School, I passed by the University of Singapore's student hostels on Dunearn Road, just around the corner from Chinese High.
"The contrast was stark. I could see the students - the English-educated students - enjoying themselves. They were laughing and blowing whistles, regarding the clash between the Chinese students and the police as a big joke.
"I thought to myself that if Singapore students all turned out like those in the university hostel, Singapore would fail."
Noting that studies have shown that the best time for a child to learn another language is in the first few years of life, Mr Lee said if children start early enough, they would be bilingual by Primary 6, with a strong foundation in the mother tongue for life.
"After primary six, at age 12, they can concentrate on their master language which is English in Singapore," he said.
The fund may also be expanded later to cover pre-nursery pupils.
Speaking to the media at the book launch, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said the fund could be used in the production of materials that may be useful for the pre-school, or for the training of teachers, and to "raise the standard of teaching mother tongue languages".
A committee under the Education Ministry will be set up to administer the fund.
Others who have pledged donations to the fund include Mr Lee's three children - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, his brother Lee Hsien Yang and sister Lee Wei Ling.
All three will donate S$200,000 collectively.
Businessmen Philip Ng, Ong Beng Seng and Chua Thian Poh have donated S$5 million, S$2 million and S$1 million respectively.
The Khoo Teck Puat Foundation has pledged S$1 million.
Speaking at the launch of his new book, My Lifelong Challenge: Singapore's Bilingual Journey, Mr Lee said the money will be used to expose pre-schoolers to both English and their mother tongue in the first few years of their life.
He will donate S$2 million to the fund - called the Lee Kuan Yew Bilingualism Fund - from the proceeds of his latest book's sales. He will autograph 200 special edition copies of the book, which will be sold at a minimum of S$10,000.
He will also add another S$10 million of his own money.
The money will supplement efforts by the Education Ministry, which is currently reviewing guidelines on teaching mother tongue languages in pre-schools. The guidelines are expected to be released next year.
For a start, it will fund initiatives targeted at pre-schoolers. Donations to the fund will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Government, up to a cap of S$50 million.
With more Singaporeans coming from predominantly English-speaking homes - from one in 10 families in 1980 to six in 10 last year - Mr Lee is concerned that fluency in the mother tongue, especially among the Chinese, will decrease as a result of the growing dominance of the English language.
Calling it his "lifelong challenge", Mr Lee spoke about the struggles he faced - both personally and politically - to transform Singapore into a bilingual nation.
He reveals in his book why he did away with vernacular schools despite violent political resistance, why he closed Nanyang University, and why he later started Special Assistance Plan schools.
Recalling a sit-in by pro-communist activists in 1956 after the arrest of student leaders and closure of Chinese High School and Chung Cheng High School, Mr Lee said he had high regards for the discipline and seriousness of purpose in life amongst Chinese school students displayed compared to English school students.
Mr Lee said: "After watching this drama of the sit-in at Chinese High School, I passed by the University of Singapore's student hostels on Dunearn Road, just around the corner from Chinese High.
"The contrast was stark. I could see the students - the English-educated students - enjoying themselves. They were laughing and blowing whistles, regarding the clash between the Chinese students and the police as a big joke.
"I thought to myself that if Singapore students all turned out like those in the university hostel, Singapore would fail."
Noting that studies have shown that the best time for a child to learn another language is in the first few years of life, Mr Lee said if children start early enough, they would be bilingual by Primary 6, with a strong foundation in the mother tongue for life.
"After primary six, at age 12, they can concentrate on their master language which is English in Singapore," he said.
The fund may also be expanded later to cover pre-nursery pupils.
Speaking to the media at the book launch, Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said the fund could be used in the production of materials that may be useful for the pre-school, or for the training of teachers, and to "raise the standard of teaching mother tongue languages".
A committee under the Education Ministry will be set up to administer the fund.
Others who have pledged donations to the fund include Mr Lee's three children - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, his brother Lee Hsien Yang and sister Lee Wei Ling.
All three will donate S$200,000 collectively.
Businessmen Philip Ng, Ong Beng Seng and Chua Thian Poh have donated S$5 million, S$2 million and S$1 million respectively.
The Khoo Teck Puat Foundation has pledged S$1 million.
