Mother Tongue Languages
Mother Tongue Languages
Department Overview
The school believes that the Mother Tongue Languages (MTLs) are important bearers of culture and a source of social belonging and identity. This is why fostering a deep understanding and appreciation of culture, and cultivating a positive attitude towards life and people underpins the department’s efforts to develop in students a strong foundation in their respective MTLs.
Key to this is an emphasis on the core skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing; a focus on interaction skills; tailoring instruction to different learning needs of students; and engaging lessons and resources that capture students’ interest.
Department Members
| Head of Department | |
|---|---|
| Mdm Tan Hsuen Fang | |
| Subject Head | |
| Mdm. Shavitha Jamna Ramakrishnan ( Tamil Language) | |
| Members | |
| Mdm Tan Meow Huang (ST/CL) | Mdm Lim Wen Huey (ST/CL) |
| Mr Gwee Yee Tat Ryan (YH) | Mdm Hartini Sanin |
| Mr Mohamad Najeeb Abdul Majid (Asst Year Head UP) | Mdm Liu Beibei |
| Miss Cheng Boon Ling | Mdm Tan Chai Hia |
| Miss Kim QingXian | Miss Isdasusianty Ismail (ML Coordinator) |
| Mdm Xiao Chuan | Miss Lim Poh Li |
| Mdm Rashitha Bibi Abdul Hameed | Mr Wong Song Pei |
| Mdm Zhuo Miaolin | Mdm Cheung Ka Lai |
| Mdm Siti Nazhira Bte Mohd Aini | Mdm Lekhaadevi Balakrishnan (FAJT |
| Mrs. Vijayalakshimi Balasubramaniam (FAJT) | Mdm Loh Huey Luen (AED – T & L) |
Programme Highlights
Reading Programmes
A love for reading accelerates language development and to nurture this, students read extensively through a structured programme from Primary One to Six. At the same time, students also learn character development and sound moral values through the experience and power of stories.
Mother Tongue (MTL) / Fortnight
A platform to enhance the authentic learning of language, the MTL Fortnight activities leverage cultural experiences that allow students to understand and learn MTL in context and as living languages.
Public Speaking
To develop confidence in communication, students are trained and given opportunities to experience public speaking at various platforms such as school concerts, celebrations and during recess throughout the year. The school acknowledges those who have put in effort and performed well as a confident speaker.
Festive Celebrations
The communal celebration of different festivals are leveraged to help students learn and appreciate Singapore’s diverse cultural heritage. By participating in one another’s cultural traditions, students gain insights about people who may be different from themselves, and this fosters acceptance and responsibility towards others. It also creates common experiences and shared memories to help strengthen a sense of belonging to the nation.
Lunar New Year
Hari Raya
Deepavali
Dumpling and Mid-Autumn Festival
Tamil New Year
Staff, students and parent volunteers coming together to
celebrate the joyous occasion!
Little Ambassadors Programme
High-progress MTL learners are supported through enrichment activities and participation in external competitions to help them achieve their full potential in the language. From 2025, the school has introduced the Bicultural Programme as part of the Little Ambassadors (CL) Programme. This initiative aims to help students better understand cross-cultural topics through guided discussions and sharing of ideas from a Singaporean perspective.