Fund to sponsor 5 new proposals for promoting bilingualism among children

SINGAPORE — A Chinese-language nursery rhyme that describes a child’s first spicy, savoury bite of chilli crab and an interactive learning application that animates a robot’s adventures through multilingual Singapore are among five proposals that will receive sponsorship from the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism, which champions efforts to promote bilingualism among pre-school children.

With these proposals, the total number of projects supported by the fund now stands at 22.

The proposal by Saintly Education Centre will see the centre develop 30 Chinese-language nursery rhymes with a Singapore flavour. “Many parents at our centre mentioned that they do not know what Chinese books to buy, other than the classics. They can’t find modern materials that have local content for their children. Therefore, we chose to create and compile 30 Chinese-language nursery rhymes with a local context,” said Mr Terence Lim, Supervisor Assistant at Saintly Education Centre.

To be published as a book, it will be accompanied by a CD, “so (the children) can play, listen and sing along to the nursery rhymes, while referring to the book”, Mr Lim said.

The centre hopes to publish the book by the end of the year and distribute it to pre-schools here.

Robot Playground Media, meanwhile, will develop a digital storybook and learning application featuring 20 stories about a robot that learns languages through interacting with other characters in social settings in Singapore. The application will be available in English and the three official mother tongues.

Mr Ervin Han, Managing Director of Robot Playground Media, said: “The idea is such that you engage and entertain kids, creating a character that they can relate to. Our application is programmed to suit everyone regardless of their race; users can select their language preferences, such as Tamil for an Indian child.” The company hopes to make the app available to pre-schools by the end of the year.

The Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism was launched in November 2011 by former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who kickstarted the fund by making a S$12 million donation. Individuals and organisations with the relevant experience to propose and execute projects that promote bilingualism can apply for funding.

The fund has received more than 150 proposals. The public can submit proposals until June 2. The ideas will be evaluated and applicants will be notified of the outcome in the fourth quarter of the year. Tan Shi Wei