Bilingualism has been the cornerstone of Singapore’s language policy since the People’s Action Party (PAP) was elected to power in 1959. The policy entails an emphasis on using English and the mother tongue languages, particularly that of the three main ethnic ...
On 8 December 1953, the colonial government in Singapore issued a white paper titled Chinese Schools Bilingual Education and Increased Aid. The white paper proposed the introduction of bilingual education in Chinese schools in exchange for increased financial aid ...
In Singapore, vernacular education refers to education conducted in the native languages of the main resident communities, namely Malay, Chinese and Tamil. From the early 19th to the mid-20th centuries, formal vernacular education was started by philanthropists, ...
The Speak Mandarin Campaign was launched on 7 September 1979 by the then prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew. The campaign was initially started to simplify the language environment, improve communication among Chinese Singaporeans from the various dialect ...
Gan Eng Seng School is one of the oldest schools in Singapore and the first free school to be founded and supported by a Chinese benefactor in the Straits Settlements. First established as the Anglo-Chinese Free School in 1885 and later renamed Gan Eng Seng School ...
Tanya Chua (蔡健雅) (b. 28 January 1975, Singapore–) is a critically acclaimed Singapore Mandopop singer-songwriter who emerged on the music scene in the 1990s. Effectively bilingual in both English and Mandarin, Tanya gained popular success mainly in Taiwan and has ...
Emma Yong Oi-Mun (b. 20 January 1975, Malaysia–d. 2 May 2012, Singapore) was a well-loved stage performer. The versatile bilingual actress performed in a wide range of shows: from pantomimes and comedies to dramas and musicals to experimental theatre. She was a ...
One of Singapore’s most successful local puppet troupes, The Finger Players (TFP) is a non-profit company founded in February 1996 by Tan Beng Tian and Ong Kian Sin as a unit of Kuo Pao Kun’s The Theatre Practice (formerly known as Practice Theatre Ensemble). Other ...
Li Lienfung (李廉凤) (b. 1923, Shanghai, China–d. 3 August 2011, Singapore) was a chemist and writer. She worked in the Wah Chang group of companies started by her father, Li Kuo Ching, with her huband Ho Ri Hwa, a prominent businessman and former ambassador. As a ...
Elangovan (b. 1957, Singapore–) is a bilingual poet and playwright known for exploring controversial themes and the grimmer aspects of society. He was a teacher, arts administrator, freelance journalist, screenwriter, literary editor and the artistic director of ...