Ms Uma Devi R Jayagumar, Lead Tamil Teacher at My First Skool at 51 Fernvale Link reading a book to her class.

An article by TODAY and CNA explores whether Singapore is becoming a monolingual nation and the impact this has on national identity. It examines the shift towards English as the dominant home language and the resulting decline in mother tongue proficiency among younger generations. The article highlights various perspectives, including those of parents and educators, on the importance of mother tongue languages for cultural identity and academic purposes.

It included an interview with Ms Uma Devi R Jayagumar, Lead Tamil Teacher at My First Skool at 51 Fernvale Link, who highlighted the need for consistent reinforcement of language skills at home.

“It takes two hands to clap, because I can have one hour of lessons and then it’s not reinforced at home. Consistency and exposure are needed,” she said.

She added that children have responded well to assignments encouraging out-of-classroom interactions with parents, such as journaling exercises where they interview their parents about their occupations and sharing new Tamil riddles, which they have researched with their parents.

Media coverage

TODAY coverage of My First Skool (TODAY online – 9 August 2024)

CNA coverage of My First Skool (CNA online – 12 August 2024)