SINGAPORE: More pre-schools are now offering all three mother tongue languages, alongside a push to train more specialised teachers as part of efforts to strengthen early bilingualism.
As at March 2026, 270 pre-schools offer all three languages, up 70 per cent from 160 in 2021, a spokesman for the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) told The Straits Times.
Another 270 centres offer two languages, and the rest offer one.
The expansion in the number of educators comes as mother tongue offerings widen in the sector. Today, nearly all of the 1,800 ECDA-licensed pre-schools and Ministry of Education kindergartens offer at least one mother tongue language.
There are 18,500 mother tongue language early childhood educators, with 80 per cent of them being Singaporean citizens and permanent residents – a proportion that has held steady since 2021.
The pipeline is set to grow further through courses at the polytechnics, said ECDA, with the first batch of students graduating in April 2026.
Interest in mother tongue language specialisation has grown, with Ngee Ann and Temasek polytechnics expanding their classes since taking in their first batch in April 2025.
These mother tongue tracks – Chinese or Tamil at Ngee Ann, and Malay at Temasek – are offered to final-year students pursuing a Diploma in Early Childhood Development and Education.
Launched in 2019, the diploma was introduced by the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) to standardise training in the pre-school sector, with the mother tongue language specialisations added later.
Both the Malay and Chinese tracks are expecting intakes in April that surpass the size of their pioneer cohorts, NIEC said.
The Malay track will grow from one to two classes, with each class averaging 25 to 30 students, while the Chinese specialisation will have more students. NIEC did not provide any exact figures when asked by The Straits Times.
The Tamil track at Ngee Ann maintains a small group of students as enrolment is split between the specialised track and the dedicated Diploma in Tamil Studies with Early Education course, said NIEC.
Other early childhood specialisations at the two polytechnics include visual arts and early intervention.
NIEC said its mother tongue language programmes have received “strong demand” from students who want to strengthen their language proficiency and teaching abilities.
A spokesman said: “There is a growing need in the early childhood sector for more trained MTL educators.”
Current pre-school teachers looking to deepen their skills to teach mother tongue languages can study for certificates or qualifications from other institutions and training providers in the sector.
For instance, the Singapore University of Social Sciences offers a Bachelor of Early Childhood and Chinese Language Education programme.
Dinah Syaqilah, who is training to become an early childhood Malay language teacher, said she hopes to interest children in their heritage.
Currently a final-year student in Temasek’s early childhood development and education diploma course, Dinah, 22, said she has noticed fewer Malay youth speaking the language as fluently as before.
“This made me want to learn more about the language and play a part in teaching children about it, connecting them with their roots and helping them develop a stronger sense of identity.”
Her curriculum allows her to hone her fluency and master the mechanics of teaching phonics to toddlers while also learning more about her heritage.
“We get to engage in hands-on activities during lessons, which makes us want to learn more,” she said, adding that her lecturer brought in authentic food and traditional games for the class to experience first-hand.
Dinah said: “(This method) made me want to think more creatively as an educator about how I want to teach my future students in a meaningful and engaging way.”
The same spark is what drew others like Lee Tong to the Chinese track and Purveeka Durai to the Tamil track at Ngee Ann.
Both of them are driven by a deep love for their mother tongue and a desire to ensure that children grow up with strong mother tongue backgrounds.
For 23-year-old Purveeka, teaching Tamil is about bridging cultures and supporting the shortage of educators in the language here.
“I have always had a love for the Tamil language,” she said. “I wanted to spread the love for this language and its use.”
Though her course has just six students, they are united by a common goal to help revitalise the Tamil language in Singapore.
“I feel that it is not about getting them to write in the language or speak immediately,” said Purveeka. “It’s about growing their love and interest first, which will then translate to them wanting to learn more about it.”
She put that into practice when she had the chance to step into a classroom for the first time during her internship.
Initially worried about teaching the intricacies of the Tamil alphabet and keeping children engaged, she soon found her footing by moving beyond the whiteboard to hands-on, sensory activities.
For Lee, 21, choosing to specialise in Chinese stemmed from a natural affinity for the language and love of the culture.
“A lot of things in Chinese culture are linked to the language... and it will be a little bit hard for it to translate into English,” she said.
During her internship, Lee noticed that children were often less interested in Chinese classes than English ones. To bridge this gap, she turned to play-based learning, using a weather-themed game with hula hoops and picture cards for her Kindergarten 1 class.
Incorporating movement made a difference as the children were less resistant to using Mandarin over time, she said.
Lee plans to start her career as an English teacher to gain broader classroom experience and hone her management skills before returning to teach Chinese.
It is important not to give up on mother tongue languages, said Dinah, adding that having a strong sense of identity and knowing one’s roots, history and heritage matter. - The Straits Times/ANN
