Young children may not be motivated to learn the Chinese language if they are told that this is to preserve the culture.
Instead, parents and educators can help by making it fun and useful for them to learn the language and culture, Education Minister Ong Ye Kung said yesterday.
"This is the mission of all stakeholders," he added, saying this effort should start from early childhood, and groups like Popular bookstore can play a part too.
He was speaking at the opening ceremony of BookFest@Singapore 2019, organised by Popular.
Mr Ong noted that Ministry of Education (MOE) kindergartens have exposed pupils to their mother tongue languages through storytelling, games and other activities, which help them build a strong foundation in listening, speaking and early literacy.
But more can be done for children up to four years old, who may be "outside of MOE's radar screen", he said.
Citing research showing the advantages of early exposure to two languages, Mr Ong said parental involvement is important to immerse children in a bilingual home environment through conversations, books and other multimedia materials in English and their mother tongue.
The Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism, with the support of MOE, is actively looking for ways to reach out to parents of children in this age range, and make teaching tips and resources available to them, Mr Ong added.
For older children with an aptitude for their mother tongue language, MOE is expanding the Language Elective Programme (LEP) from junior college to secondary levels from next year.
Over 250 students are expected to join the pilot batch of LEP in 15 secondary schools next year, Mr Ong said. Three more junior colleges will also come on board the programme that gives students greater exposure to these languages, bringing the total to 11.
Mr Ong also thanked Popular for its efforts over the years to promote the learning and use of the Chinese language. Since 2015, the non-profit Chou Sing Chu Foundation started by current group chief executive Chou Cheng Ngok has organised over 300 storytelling sessions at libraries and schools, and donated over 67,000 Chinese-language children's books to the National Library Board and primary school libraries.
BookFest, he said, was a good platform to encourage Singaporeans to stay in touch with their mother tongue in a fun and informal setting, with a selection of materials available for every age group.
This year's fair includes educational products such as Creative Chinese AR Magic, which leverages augmented reality (AR) technology to enhance the learning of Chinese.
BookFest runs until Dec 15 from 10am to 10pm daily at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre Halls 401 to 406.
