Personally, I find myself duty-bound to write on this issue. Like most JC students, I chose my subjects based on my O levels results. At O levels, I scored a distinction in both my chinese Language as well as my higher Chinese. I noticed that even in our PM's speech, he only mentioned the number of students taking higher Chinese on the rise, with no mention of the number of distinction scorers, especially distinction scorer who came from english (or even singlish) speaking families.
Indeed it was difficult, especially when the number of Chinese nationals coming to Singapore and taking O levels higher Chinese are on the rise. Hence, with my results, I naively thought my chinese was slightly above average and took H2 Chinese Language and Literature (CLL) in JC.
A few days after the commencement of proper lessons, I regretted my choice. I realised this Chinese was very different from the higher Chinese I had a year ago. The vast difference in standards and style sent me flying and I fell hard on the ground. It was made worse when my class was populated with Chinese nationals of high mandarin ablities, leaving only one other Singaporean and I to face CLL in a strenuous J2 year. This led to despair, fear and extreme dislike for the chinese language.
Hence,with my experience, I hope to urge ministries concerned, to re-consider merely simplifying the chinese syllabus each time but to consider the huge jump students are taking from one level to the next, whenever they are in the midst of a change.
If at lower primary, they are only taught to listen, speak and ,at the very most, recognise some words, I am worried that they might experience difficulty in reading and writing at higher levels. If the higher mother tounge continues to be simplified, students are given false impressions and find themselves being torn apart in their JC years. If thorughout all their schooling years, they are only given simplified chinese and are high-fliers, a greater false impression might be created in them that they are proefficient in the language, which might result in them stumbling as they face a rising China and as they venture out of this tiny dot to meet geninuely-proefficient Chinese speakers or businessmen.
Therfore, though I acknowledge a shift in language habits occuring in Singapore, I feel we should not avoid the issue by merely simplifying the language. This is a bottom-less pit. I feel that mainstream students should continue with our current syllabus and we'll offer Chinese B to the others so the jump between levels as well as to the working world is not too great. New methods could be introduced to teach this same syllabus whether it is via the new media and technology or otherwise. Livelier teachings and more interactive sessions may cause students to like the language better and put in more effort to master it. Continuing to simplify it might create false impressions and result in students regarding the subject as unimportant.
Sigh...for myself...I would just "zhi qi bu ke er wei qi ye", knowing full well that my CLL could not be done to perfection, but nevertheless continue to try my best and achieve whatever is possible.
1:32 PM :D
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Jollie Ng
GB
KPS
USS
Birth date: 19 Jun 92
Death Date: 1 Jan 05
Food Fanatic
Wishlist
1)Taste all good food in the workd
2)To own a successful eatery one day
3)To work hard for my 'a' lvls
4)To get into uni
5)To gain and mantain meaningful relationships
6)A wonderful birthday gift
7)Crumpler
Loves
1)Food
2)English
3)Family
Hates
1)Talkative radios
2)Studying
3)Failing subjects
4)Certain ppl
5)Routine stuff
6)Almost everyting of life except FOOD
Changes in Chinese policy