I REFER to last Thursday's letter by Mr Zhou Penghui, 'Shun Singlish or lose out on global stage'.

Mr Zhou expects teachers to communicate well to their students in Standard English just as 'cooks should be expected to cook more delicious food than the rest of us'.

Although it is true that teachers are obliged to set a good example for students, as a student, I can confidently say that most teachers here have a good command of English, especially English teachers.

Even if teachers lapse into Singlish, it is but a means to connect with teenagers and explain concepts in simple Singaporean terms which relate well to students. This is an effective way to establish good rapport between students and teachers and is not in any way an indication that teachers encourage the use of Singlish in the academic or formal context.

As students, we are constantly reminded by teachers of the need to speak Standard English and avoid Singlish as it puts us at a disadvantage on the international platform. Yet, as Ms Jessica Walker pointed out last Tuesday ('Teachers can't do it alone'), if Singaporeans really want to raise their standard of English, they must not rely on teachers alone.

In schools, almost all Chinese teachers can speak Mandarin well, yet why are students still unable to pronounce Chinese words with accuracy? For example, many students still cannot differentiate between shi and si, qin and qing, even though teachers have taught them that since primary level.

As in Chinese language, parents and social environment play an important role in shaping how teenagers speak English. There are limits to how much English teachers can do and to see any significant improvement in Singaporeans' English, we must make a concerted effort. For a start, schools can consider organising mandatory English and phonetics workshops for parents and students to attend together.

It is also crucial for students to be held responsible for how they speak. Teachers can come up with innovative ways such as a reward and penalty system in class for English and Singlish respectively.

In social settings, let us not reserve Standard English for a formal context, such as speeches by government ministers and presentations.

The Ministry of Education plans to make discussions of newspaper reports and role play key tools in English classes. If we expand this to include discussions of advertisements, other text types and role play of day-to-day conversations, for example in hawker centres, students will be encouraged to use Standard English in their daily activities.

Singaporeans also must be patient and recognise that the benefits of our efforts would be reaped only in the future. In the meantime, they must take it upon themselves to make conscientious efforts to speak English well.

Lim Ying Hin

This article was first published in The Straits Times.