English to teach Chinese

USING English to teach Chinese has proven to be effective for children from predominantly English-speaking homes.

So, teachers should not be hung up on whether it is taboo to use a mix of English and Chinese for these children, Education Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Saturday.

He also revealed that a task force is due to make proposals soon on how this group of children can be taught the language.

'We think we've to make certain significant changes,' he told reporters after a conference on dyslexia, adding that parents would be given ample notice of the changes.

As for worries that Chinese standards would slip, Dr Ng pointed out that the education system allows children who are able to pursue the language at a higher level to do so.

'It's not that you have one method that you can teach the whole population,' he said, suggesting different strokes for different folks.