IT IS indeed heartening to know that the wheels have been set in motion in the concerted effort to improve the standard of English in Singapore. Hearing even university graduates speak poor English is a stark indicator that the decline had set in several decades ago. To bring it back on track is going to be a long and laborious task.

Though language is not learnt in isolation and teaching a language in a context is beneficial, applying the rules of grammar in the learning of English - which to many of us is not our mother tongue - is absolutely vital. We have seen that learning English through sentence patterns alone, without the knowledge of grammar rules, has had disastrous results.

Another point which I would like to make is the importance of introducing this structured grammar-orientated programme at the foundation level, preferably in kindergarten.

My own personal experience in experimenting with the teaching of English through grammar to five- and six-year-olds yielded excellent results. But again, are the teachers handling children at this crucial level of development fully equipped with the skills of teaching the language through structured grammar modules? If they are not, then the overall effort of the Government will be in vain.

Padmini Kesavapany (Mrs)

This article was first published in The Straits Times.