Special Assistance Plan Schools

Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Education (a) to what extent have Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools achieved their intended outcomes; (b) what are the unique programmes under SAP schools that cannot be found or are not offered in non-SAP schools; (c) what are the challenges faced in offering non-Chinese mother languages in SAP schools; and (d) whether SAP schools are contrary to our efforts to build an inclusive society.

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The mission of Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools is to nurture bilingual and bicultural students who are steeped in Chinese language and culture. Over the years, SAP schools have nurtured a core group of citizens who are bilingual and bicultural, as part of our efforts to develop a deeper appreciation of cultural values and heritage.

The SAP schools have also been effective in cultivating students' interest in Chinese language-related studies, in grooming cultural transmitters (for example, Lianhe Zaobao journalists) and language specialists (for example, Chinese language teachers) for the Chinese community in Singapore.

In 2007, a SAP Schools Review Taskforce, chaired by then Minister of State Gan Kim Yong, was formed to review the SAP schools and recommend initiatives to enable SAP schools to enrich the learning of Chinese language and traditional values, and to strengthen the SAP school ethos. Since then, MOE and schools have implemented the review recommendations and achieved steady progress. Every SAP school has its own flagship programmes related to the learning of the Chinese language and culture. For example, Chung Cheng High (Main) offers courses, such as Chinese Internet broadcasting, film-making and drama, to all lower secondary students. Other programmes which are unique to the SAP schools include:

(1) enrichment modules in Chinese, such as Introduction to Contemporary China;

(2) more opportunities for overseas immersion in China;

(3) the teaching of Chinese traditional values in Civics and Moral Education;

(4) integrating the Chinese language curriculum with non-examination subjects like Social Studies, Art, Music and PE.

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SAP schools remain important in our education landscape. Given the immersive Chinese language environment where most of the non-examination subjects are taught in Chinese and even the assembly periods are conducted in Chinese, all students are required to offer Higher Chinese or Chinese as their Mother Tongue language. Students who offer a non-Chinese Mother Tongue may find it more difficult to benefit from such an environment.

SAP schools recognise the need for their students to have opportunities for inter-ethnic interaction and engagement with students from other schools. They have made special efforts to promote such interaction and engagement, including:

(1) Introducing Conversational Malay Programme as an elective to enable the students to communicate with Malay-speaking peers in the community and the region;

(2) Ensuring that there are adequate opportunities for interactions with students from other schools through Community Involvement Projects, inter-school, cluster-based and community-based activities.

In addition, the SAP schools have mounted various innovative programmes and activities, such as pen-pal programmes with other schools, learning non-Chinese games and performance arts from peers in other schools, and, in return, teaching them Chinese games or arts. The programmes and activities are reviewed continually.

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