By Leong Weng Kam, Senior Writer

SIM University (UniSIM) is set to become the first university to offer degree courses for Singapore's four official languages - English, Malay, Tamil and Chinese.

The university, which already has its own part-time bachelor's degree courses in the first three languages, will complete the set when its programme in Chinese language and literature begins in July.

It had earlier partnered China's Beijing Normal University (BNU) to offer a similar four-year course, with the degree awarded by BNU. The new BA degree will be issued by UniSIM itself.

The dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences, Associate Professor Neelam Aggarwal, said the university had decided to offer the BA in Chinese language and literature because it is academically ready to do so.

Its head of Chinese programmes, Dr Luo Futeng, 48, said the course content has been modified from BNU's to make it more relevant to students here.

'Students now have more but shorter modules to choose from and study, from 14 in the past to 36, and they include translation, studies on overseas Chinese and Chinese calligraphy and art appreciation,' he added.

UniSIM, a private university set up in 2005, has offered language courses from its earliest days.

The first was its English language and literature programme, which began when the old SIM Open University Centre was folded into the newly set-up UniSIM.

A BA in Tamil language and literature was introduced in 2006.

In January, UniSIM launched a course in Malay and attracted its first batch of 48 students.

The president of UniSIM, Professor Cheong Hee Kiat, 55, said the Ministry of Education encouraged the university to offer the language degree courses, which are aimed at adults - especially non-graduate school teachers - interested in attaining tertiary-level qualifications. 'The ministry had even helped us with resources to develop the curricula for both the Tamil and Malay language programmes,' he added.

Prof Aggarwal said some students in these programmes can obtain subsidies for as much as 40 per cent of their course fees.

The subsidies apply to citizens and permanent residents who have not had subsidised undergraduate education here before.

Response to the four language degree courses has been overwhelming since recruitment started about two weeks ago.

The Chinese language programme alone has received more than 80 applications so far.

Applications for all four programmes close on March 31.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.