Mother tongue is an important link that maintains Singapore’s multiculturalism and identity. Therefore, mother tongue education has long been a cornerstone of Singapore's education system. However, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong pointed out that to truly integrate mother tongue into daily life, and not just treat it as an exam subject, it requires joint efforts from all sectors of society.
According to a Lianhe Zaobao report, the Singapore Tamil Teachers’ Union celebrated its 75th anniversary on the 17th. In a speech at the dinner, Lawrence Wong emphasized the importance of mother tongue education, acknowledging that it is not easy to master mother tongue in today’s Singapore.
He said: "Mother tongue connects us to our roots, values, and culture, helping us trace back to our origins and shaping who we are today."
Prime Minister Wong pointed out that Singapore is a country of multiple races and religions, and mother tongues embody Singaporeans’ unique sense of identity—everyone is, first and foremost, Singaporean, while still maintaining close ties with each community’s cultural traditions. Therefore, learning mother tongue has always been a cornerstone in Singapore’s education system.
However, the Prime Minister said that an increasing number of young Singaporeans are growing up in English-speaking households, making it even more difficult to master their mother tongues. "For Tamil in particular, the challenge is especially tough because students have fewer opportunities to speak, read, and use Tamil outside the classroom."
● More and more families mainly speak English at home
According to the Comprehensive Household Survey 2025 released by the Singapore Department of Statistics in June, the proportion of local households that mainly speak English at home has continued to rise—from 48.3% in 2020 to 58.1% last year.
During the same period, the proportion of households using the three major ethnic mother tongues as their main home language declined across the board: Mandarin dropped from 29.9% to 26.6%, Malay from 9.2% to 7%, and Tamil from 2.5% to 2.2%.