Just read this discussion about Ms Ris Low and it seems a pity not to air my views so here goes.
I believe that this kind of situations will be occurring more in the future. Singapore’s emphasis on the Math and Sciences are largely at fault for the sub-standard of English here. However, the trend is evolving to focus more on communication (as evident from the many presentations that we have to do in school and the fact that primary schools are now adopting the speak-first-write-later strategy). In the past, more emphasis was on the Math and Sciences because Singapore was at the developing stage. We needed the mathematical and scientific knowledge for country building. Furthermore, our standards of Mathematics and Sciences have always been our source of pride, being ranked near the top in the various tests and surveys conducted among students from different countries. Presently, the English language has become a rather important asset, being a multi-racial society and the need to keep up with globalization. English has become THE language in business dealings and many other social aspects of our lives as the world progresses further. In addition, Singaporeans are becoming increasingly educated and effectively bilingual. Many of the younger generation are able to switch smoothly from Singlish to English when necessary. Perhaps this issue of Ms Ris Low serves as a major blow to us because of the indication that maybe the system of trying to shift the focus onto the languages may not be effective enough. It signals that much more needs to be done to equip more Singaporeans with the ability to speak proper English fluently so that Singapore will not be left behind in the economic rat race. One question remains: Is it too late to teach Singaporeans proper English?
Another glaring issue would be the use of Singlish. I don’t think it is fair to put all the blame on the use of Singlish. Criticisms have made SInglish the stumbling block in our quest to master perfect...