Debated in Parliament on 6 Feb 2024.
Mr Pritam Singh asked the Minister for Education (a) how many students sat for Tamil and the five non-Tamil Indian languages (NTILs) at the PSLE, “N”, “O” and “A” level examinations respectively, in 2023; (b) what was the number of students who sat for the same examinations in 2013; and (c) what is the total Ministry subvention or grant allocated to the teaching and development of each of these languages in 2013 and 2023 respectively.
The absolute number of students offering Tamil (TL) and Non-Tamil Indian Languages (NTIL) varies, depending on the cohort size. Overall, the proportion of students who took TL at PSLE, "N" level and "O" level examinations was around 4% to 5% in 2013 and 5% to 6 % in 2023. For NTIL, the proportion was around 1% in 2013 and 2% in 2023. "A" level Tamil candidature fluctuated between 2% and 3% between 2013 and 2023, depending on the number of students who have done well in Higher Tamil at "O" level and need not offer Tamil at the "A" levels. Candidature for "A" level NTIL is also around 2% to 3%.
The Ministry of Education’s funding has also increased accordingly, based on the enrolment of Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents in the respective languages, with more support for TL as an official MTL.
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