A HIGHLY-popular online quiz, along the lines of a Trivial Pursuit game, will be the hallmark again of this year's Speak Mandarin Campaign, which was launched yesterday.
The weekly quiz, posted online on Tuesday, is among a host of activities being held to encourage especially English-speaking Singaporeans to master the language and, in turn, reap the benefits from a fast-growing Chinese economy.
The need, plus benefits, for Singaporeans to be effectively bilingual in English and Mandarin was a key theme of Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong's address yesterday when he launched the year-long campaign.
Being effectively bilingual is no longer just a national education requirement, he said. 'It is now a life skill that we should all make an effort to acquire.'
Mr Gan also explained the need to hold the campaign yearly, saying that mastering a language needed constant practice for a person to remain current.
'As a new generation of Singaporeans grow up, we need to continue to encourage them and to provide the environment for them to not only learn but also to use the language,' he told reporters after the launch at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Empress Place.
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