Press Release

PRESS RELEASE 18 July 2018 OUR MOTHER TONGUES AS LIVING LANGUAGES ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR MOTHER TONGUE LANGUAGES (MTL) SYMPOSIUM 2018 IS NOW OPEN The 7th Mother Tongue Languages (MTL) Symposium will offer an exciting journey for children and their parents to learn and appreciate their Mother Tongues through engaging, authentic and fun activities. 2. The MTL Symposium will be held on Saturday, 18 August 2018, from 11am to 8pm, at the Suntec Singapore Exhibition and Convention Centre, with Ms Low Yen Ling, Senior Parliament Secretary for Education as the Guest-of-Honour. 3. In line with the theme of “Our Mother Tongues as Living Languages”, the Symposium includes simulated neighbourhood settings where children are encouraged to use their Mother Tongue as they role-play daily activities. Parents can also pick up useful tips from local and international education experts on how to create conducive home environments to inculcate the love for MTL in their children from young. There will also be exhibitions to provide parents with fun and effective strategies to guide their children in learning and using MTL effectively. 4. Into its seventh year, the MTL Symposium continues to forge strong partnerships with pre-schools, schools and the community to develop our children as active learners and proficient users of MTL. Highlights of Mother Tongue Languages Symposium 2018 5. This year, the MTL Symposium will feature a total of 32 sharing sessions and workshops, as well as 43 exhibition booths, such as: Be a Neighbourhood Hero: In this activity, children role-play as the unsung heroes in our neighbourhoods. By completing interactive hands-on tasks in their MTL to assist the elderly at four neighbourhood settings – the Supermarket, Library, Food Centre and MRT Station – children become “neighbourhood heroes” themselves, as they see the meaningfulness and relevance of MTL in their daily lives. 1 Sharing sessions and workshops: Local and international education experts, like Dr Leher Singh1, Dr Chen Ren-fu2, as well as celebrity parents and renowned speakers such as Mr Shaun Chen3, Ms Sharon Ismail4, Mr Annadha Kannan5 and Mdm Jumaini Ariff6 will share creative ideas to involve children in the learning of MTL. Participants can also hear and pick up useful tips from pre-school and primary school curriculum experts. Exhibition booths: Parents and educators can explore fun and innovative ways of nurturing a child’s love for MTL learning at the interactive booths set up by the pre-school centres, schools and community partners. MTL Creative Corner: The MTL Creative Corner is an area set up for parents and children to craft their pledge and express their commitment to the learning and use of MTL in their daily lives. Visitors will be invited to strike a pose at the photo booths to remember this special day of MTL learning. 6. Visitors can browse a range of recommended books and materials for MTL learning as well as resources produced through the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism (LKYFB). A wide range of books, CDs and picture cards will also be available for sale. Registration Details 7. Admission to the Symposium is free and the first 5,000 visitors will each receive a goody bag. Registration for the sharing sessions and workshops is now open to the public at www.mtls.sg on a first-come-first-served basis. Members of the public can also visit the website for a list of activities and exhibitions at the Symposium. ____________________________________________________________________ MINISTRY OF EDUCATION 1 Dr Leher Singh is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Her research focuses on the impact of bilingualism on language acquisition, social development and cognitive growth in young children. 2 Dr Chen Ren-Fu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Early Childhood Education at the National Ping Tung University of Education in Taiwan. He has been working in the field of drama in education for over twenty years. 3 Mr Shaun Chen, a father of two, is a Mediacorp artiste and has acted in numerous television drama. Mr Chen won the Best Actor Award for his role in The Journey: Tumultuous Times at the 2015 Star Awards. 4 Ms Sharon Ismail is an actress, host, polytechnic senior lecturer and writer of children’s books. 5 Mr Annadha Kannan is the Founder Director of AK Theatre Limited (Singapore), a theatre which stages plays for children. 6 Mdm Jumaini Ariff is an author of children’s books and a prominent storyteller in the Singapore literary scene. She is well- known for her uniquely crafted persona “Nek Selampit”. 2 .

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