Why learn a foreign language in Singapore?

There are so many languages used in Singapore. According to the country’s constitution, Singaporean national language is Malay. The official languages are English, Tamil, Malay, and Mandarin Chinese. Singapore has several foreign languages as a result of rapid increase of foreign population.  That has led to need for learning foreign languages in Singapore Taiyo School. Foreign languages in Singapore are French, Spanish, Tagalog, Portuguese, German, Russian, and Dutch. Others are Thai, Japanese, and Bahasa Indonesia 

The population of non-English speakers is rising at a very high rate. According to the country’s statistics, foreigners constitute about 36% of the total population in Singapore. The public and private sectors are also dominated by foreigners, who account for 50% of the population in the sector. Knowing a foreign language is now becoming a basic requirement for efficient communication. 

As a result dominance of foreigners, communication breakdown has become a major challenge. Singaporean education system has learning policies that promote dual language, hence most people are bilingual. More educational institutions are also offering foreign language courses and classes.  

To increase chances of employability, knowing a foreign language is an added advantage. This is due to the fact that both public and private sectors are dominated by foreigners. For instance, in tourism sector requires one to be able to communicate in foreign language because most tourists are foreigners. 

Learning a foreign language exposes one to many social opportunities. People who can converse in one or more foreign languages can communicate with more people. 

Where to learn foreign language in Singapore 

The main place where language is taught is in schools. Apart from official languages, the Singaporean education system has some foreign languages in its curriculum. Therefore, students who learn in schools that offer foreign languages have an option of making their preferred choice of language.  

Apart from ordinary schools, there are other educational institutions that offer courses in foreign languages. One can enroll in a college or university and attend foreign language classes. There are part-time and full-time learning schedules. 

Another great place where people can learn foreign languages in Singapore is through online language classes. Online lessons are offered through tutorials, videos and virtual teachers. Those interested can simply search their choice of language from any search engine. Some courses free while others are offered at a fee.  

In addition, there are private tutors who can be hired to teach one a foreign language. Tutoring can be done via a virtual platform or the face-to-face mode.  

To wrap up 

Whereas English is the instructional language in Singaporean schools, learning foreign languages is demand driven. This demand has prompted the education system and other training institutions to put up measures that support learning foreign languages in Singapore. This has given a chance for people to expand their linguistic capabilities for smoother and efficient communication.