Expenditure Per Student Spent on Mother Tongue Language Education

Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Education (a) for each official mother tongue language (MTL), what is the current expenditure per student to receive such MTL education at the preschool, primary, secondary and post-secondary levels respectively; and (b) what are the future plans to enhance the teaching of MTLs at all levels.

Bilingualism is the cornerstone of our education system. We remain committed to supporting our students learn their mother tongue.

Ministry of Education (MOE) schools offer differentiated Mother Tongue Language curriculum to cater to diverse learning needs and interests of the students. Our teachers use a variety of teaching methods and resources to help students become active learners and proficient users of their mother tongue.

We will continue to improve the teaching and learning of Mother Tongue Languages, ensuring that it stays in step with evolving contexts. We do not track expenditure based on subjects, as teaching and learning of a subject involves many types of expenditure, and spending on different subjects and programmes is connected and interdependent. For instance, resources such as a digital learning device can be used for the learning of all subjects.

At the launch of the 2024 Primary School Mother Tongue Languages curriculum last month, I shared that we will tap on multi-modal approaches for students to learn Mother Tongue Language through visual, auditory and kinesthetic means.

Three other features of the new curriculum were also mentioned. One is the greater use of technology to engage students in learning Mother Tongue Language. The other is to make learning more authentic for students to see its relevance in their daily lives. Third is a greater emphasis on 21st-century competencies, such as cross-cultural literacy and communication skills, for students to be more future-ready.

While we continue to review the teaching methods and resources, we recognise the challenges that our students face in grasping their mother tongue today, as many of them are using English to communicate with their family members at home. MOE seeks the partnership of parents and the community in creating an environment where young children and youths have opportunities to learn and use their mother tongue beyond the classroom setting. Ultimately, our students will enjoy learning mother tongue if they find the language interesting and useful in their daily lives.