Education and language shifts

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Singapore residents are securing higher academic qualifications, especially university degrees. More can read and write in multiple languages, and bigger numbers are speaking English at home.

But there are downsides such as an oversupply of graduates, underemployment, and the potential erosion of mother tongue heritage, experts tell Insight. And interventions are needed to bridge gaps between ethnic groups, they say.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 19, 2021, with the headline Education and language shifts. Subscribe