Ineffective Bilingual Policy Contributing to Low Literacy Levels

THE principal cause for many of the problems plaguing the Ministry of Education was identified by the Goh Report as the unnatural situation in which 85 per cent of our children were taught in languages they did not speak at home. dary Three to no forma] education were able to handle fairly well situations in which English was ihe sole means of communication. Further, the great majority — more than 60 per cent of the pupils who sat for the PSLE (Primary Six) and O level examinations (Secondary Four)- had failed in one or both languages. Taking The system as a whole and tracing successive cohorts, the Report found that only 19 per cent of each primary cohort passed both languages at O level. The bilingual policy had therefore not been universally effective. Nevertheless, as noted above, the desirability of bilingual education was long recognized. To this end, a number of measures were taken. In 1966, the policy requiring mathematics and science subjects to be taught in English in Chinese primary schools was introduced. Conversely, 1969 saw the introduction of the policy of requiring the instruction of civics in English schools to be taught in the mother tongue. In 1970, the teaching of history in the mother tongue was introduced in Primary Three classes and in 1973 double weighting was given to the second language for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLEj at Primary Six.

In assessing the success of the bilingual policy, the Report noted that surveys conducted in 1975 by the Ministry of Education on primary school pupils and by the Ministry of Defence on national servicemen suggested that literacy levels, particularly in English, were low. For example, only 11 per cent of the national servicemen with educational levels ranging from Secondary Three to no formal education were able to handle fairly well situations in which English was ihe sole means of communication. Further, the great majority — more than 60 per cent of the pupils who sat for the PSLE (Primary Six) and O level examinations (Secondary Four) - had failed in one or both languages. Taking The system as a whole and tracing successive cohorts, the Report found that only 19 per cent of each primary cohort passed both languages at O level.