Q & A with Dr Chin

What are the main challenges faced by Chinese teachers now?

Firstly, our students now enter schools with different levels of Chinese language ability. For many, English is their mother tongue. Teachers must realise that there is a need for differentiated instruction.

Students are also becoming very bright. They are IT-savvy; they can know more than the teacher. So teachers must learn to be facilitators.

As Chinese teachers, they must learn to be very adaptable to the necessary changes that must take place.

Is Chinese language still important for the transmission of traditional values and culture?

Of course. You could read translated pieces of work, but much would be lost. If you use English to gain access to Chinese culture, you will be able to gain only a superficial understanding. Chinese culture and its teachings are extremely rich and will remain beneficial to our future generations.

What do you hope SCCL can achieve?

Ultimately, we hope that it will become a regional educational hub for Chinese teaching and learning. Whether we succeed will depend on various factors - we need to take time to consider how we can generate awareness of our centre in the region and how we can introduce programmes suitable for the needs of different countries.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

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