THIS is in response to yesterday's letter by Ms Jessica Walker, "Improving spoken English: Teachers can't do it alone".

Singlish has always been part and parcel of life in Singapore. It is a spoken language and is not and has never been taught in schools.

Related link: » Teachers can't do it alone

As a matter of fact, British English is taught to all students in Singapore. As part of their assessments, students undergo a battery of tests and examinations, which include listening, reading, speaking and writing, to gauge their proficiency in the language. As such, Singaporeans are given a wholesome theoretical approach to English.

Having studied and done some relief teaching in neighbourhood primary and secondary schools, I have not met a single teacher who encouraged speaking Singlish. Having had my post-secondary education abroad in a country where English is the first language, I can say that the quality of English taught in schools here is high.

The issue of Singlish comes during casual conversation. During presentations, Singaporeans often miss the mark in convincing an audience. They appear unprepared even though they might have practised. There is also a problem of pronunciation and intonation, where presenters are not able to verbalise complex words, even though phonetics has been part of the curriculum in schools.

Practical presentation skills are lacking.

I share the same thoughts and sentiments as Ms Walker, who suggested that Singaporeans ought to conscientiously speak proper English to each other. This would enable all of us to present our ideas and thoughts in English and in turn improve our presentation skills.

I also agree with Ms Walker that this is an "idealistic proposal". Having said that, the burden is on Singaporeans to make an effort to hone our English and not blame teachers who try to provide quality education to the youth of our society.

Mr Dilip Kumar

This article was first published in The Straits Times.