SINGAPORE: Every year, roughly one in five of Singapore’s secondary school students study their Mother Tongue at a higher level. Up until now, Higher Mother Tongue has been the domain of the top tier of Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) performers. That could change in 2026, when more students will be allowed to take Higher Mother Tongue in secondary schools regardless of their overall PSLE score .
When the time comes, I will encourage my children to do it if they can and want to. Here’s why I even wish the option would be open to everyone regardless of grades. MY COMPLICATED HIGHER CHINESE JOURNEY Twenty-four years ago, I did well at the PSLE and was offered the opportunity to study Higher Chinese in secondary school.
I grabbed the chance with both hands, motivated by the desire to read my favourite Japanese manga that were more widely available in Chinese translations. I enjoyed it at first, revelling in the many opportunities for cultural immersion. I remember going on an exchange programme in Secondary 2 to Yunnan, China – the very first time I'd been in an environment where the dominant mode of communication was Mandarin.
I remember calligraphy classes and competitions. I remember being introduced to Chinese poetry. I was so taken by the lyrical quality of some verses that I memorised them without being told to.
I even remember being taught snippets of Chinese classics like Romance Of The Three Kingdoms and Dream Of The Red Chamber, and trying valiantly to .