For many Singaporean students, the Mother Tongue is the subject that kills their PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination) score. A student who scores A* in Math, Science, and English but a D in Chinese will fail to enter a top secondary school. This creates a national syndrome: .
," founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew chronicles the 50-year struggle to establish a bilingual foundation for the nation. The policy, implemented in 1966, mandateed that all students learn English alongside their ethnic "Mother Tongue"—Mandarin, Malay, or Tamil. Core Pillars of the Bilingual Policy For many Singaporean students, the Mother Tongue is
Mandated to prevent "de-Asianisation" and ensure citizens remained rooted in their heritage. For many Singaporean students