I AGREE with Mr Soh Gim Chuan ('English standards' last Thursday) that there is no quick fix to speaking good English but beg to differ on current standards as I feel they have dropped.

You do not have to go far, especially in schools, to hear constant mispronunciation of words, poor grammar and incorrect use of tenses, to see what I mean. Also, do not forget we still publish many government forms and letters in four languages. We have to ask ourselves if this is because of respect for cultural diversity or because many citizens cannot read English.

This is not to take away from the Ministry of Education's efforts and achievements in improving the standard of English, as part of the problem is historical, starting with immigrants who did not speak English. Now, part of the problem may also be due to the emphasis (some may argue over-emphasis) on mother tongue (MT) over the past 20 or 30 years - one consequence of which is that students spend an inordinate time trying to master it, likely at the expense of English.

Why is this so? Probably because it is easier to pass English than MT.

The policy on MT keeps citizens in touch with their roots, culture and history, so there is no need to change it. However, when some children spend more than half their time on it after school, you can be sure something has to give and that is English.

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew himself has stated that not everyone has the same aptitude when it comes to learning languages, and our children are no different. So it is likely the brighter ones will do well and the average ones will struggle.

The primary cause of bad English (and by extension the cause of Singlish) has not changed from days of old - that is, most, but not all, people who learn and speak their own language will naturally use it better. So where is the time for English? Spending too much time on one thing leaves little time for other things. What is needed is balance.

Samuel Owen

This article was first published in The Straits Times.