I REFER to Monday's Forum letter, "Don't let language drag down the best".

It seems that everyone is caught up in the frenzy of levelling the playing field for those who are not proficient in their mother tongues (the Chinese language, in particular).

Related link: » Don't let language drag down the best

While there are a great number of people who have a Chinese-language handicap that they may never overcome, there is also a good proportion of people with an English-language handicap which they have difficulty overcoming as well. The playing field is not level for those with the English-language handicap.

We lament the fact that many good students have lost out on educational opportunities in Singapore because they were weak in the mother tongue. However, there exists a sizeable number of people who have missed out on opportunities to study in junior colleges and universities because their English language grades were not up to scratch. This, despite their proficiency in maths and the sciences.

Those who are really weak in their mother tongue but stronger in English have the chance to "escape" our education system and study abroad. Many who are weak in English but are otherwise strong in their mother tongue have nowhere else to turn to. Their proficiency in their mother tongue does not level the playing field for them when it comes to admission to schools and universities.

I am afraid that the incentive to do well in these subjects will diminish, unlike in the past when there was equal emphasis on mother tongue and English.

Jason Su

This article was first published in The Straits Times.