Mother Tongue Languages
Explore how the Mother Tongue Languages Department helps students master their languages and embrace cultural values through enrichment programmes, overseas immersion, and national competitions.
Mother Tongue Languages
Our Team
Department Introduction
Mother Tongue Languages (MTL) Department aims to nurture our students to be keen learners, competent users of their mother tongue languages as well as individual who are morally upright.
The department exposes students to the beauty and moral values of their MTL through classroom teaching and enrichment programmes, which allow our students to use their MTL as a living language effectively beyond the classroom settings. To further enthuse students in learning and using their MTL as well as to inculcate values, platforms and opportunities such as Overseas Immersion Programme, MTL Fortnight, language camps and part are provided to encourage students to use their MTL and appreciate the culture and values associated with it.
Signature Programme(s)
Conversational Chinese/Malay Programme
The aims of the Conversational Chinese Language (CL)/Malay Language (ML) programme are:
To strengthen Singapore’s multiracial compact and engender multiculturalism through an active and inclusive approach
To develop in students keener interest in one another’s culture from a young age
To enable students to have some grounding of functional CL/ML so that they could more easily pick up the language should they need it for economic or other reasons in adult life.
Under this programme, the department aims to provide a variety of learning experiences such for students to build a basic understanding of the language and the associated culture.
Upon completion of the programme, students should be able to:
Communicate in their non-mother tongue language in everyday situations using simple phrases and sentences
Develop cross-cultural appreciation and build stronger cross-ethnic relationships
Katapella 2026 - Secondary School Category - Second Runner-up
Jointly organised by the Malay Language Learning and Promotion Committee (MLLPC) and Mediacorp, Katapella aims to foster in students a deeper appreciation for the Malay language and culture beyond the classroom.
Melayuhua Drama Production
As part of enriching students’ acquisition of Malay language, Yuhua Secondary Malay language unit, exposes students to literary text as part of its ApT Reader Programme (Appreciate and Transform). Students not only read and appreciate the texts provided, but they also expand their understanding of the text by producing song, poetry, drawing or skit. In encouraging the authentic use of the Malay language and as an extension of the ApT Reader programme, the unit further organises the biennial Melayuhua Drama production. Melayuhua drama production acts as an experiential and immersive platform in cultivating communication and collaborative skills. Students engaged in language and cultural exploration through creative expression. Through interactive sessions with peers and support from teachers, students are empowered to embrace linguistic challenges with confidence, contributing to their overall development as resilient and adaptable individuals. By showcasing students’ talent through Melayuhua drama production, it not only enriches the learning experience of Malay language and culture but also integrates 21st Century Competencies of communication, collaboration and instilling confidence in students.
新空下National Schools Xinyao Singing And Songwriting Competition 2025:
Singing (Solo) Category Champion: Yogi Tan You Qi
Singing (Group) Category 2nd Runner Up: Yogi Tan You Qi, Vanessa Lee
As part of enriching students' acquisition of Chinese language and culture, the Yuhua Secondary Mother Tongue Department's Talent Development Programme exposes students to authentic musical expression through prestigious national platforms. Students not only develop their vocal and performance skills, but they also expand their artistic understanding by engaging in competitive singing and songwriting opportunities that showcase their talents on a broader stage.
In encouraging the authentic use of the Chinese language and as an extension of the Talent Development Programme, the department supports student participation in the biennial Xin Kong Xia National Schools Xinyao Singing and Songwriting Competition. This prestigious competition, jointly organised by the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning, TCR Music Station, Lianhe Zaobao and Jurong Pioneer Junior College, acts as an experiential and immersive platform in cultivating communication, performance excellence and collaborative skills.
At the Grand Finals, Yuhuans Yogi Tan (1 Respect) and Vanessa Lee (2 Resilience) engaged in linguistic and cultural exploration through creative musical expression. Through interactive performances with peers and support from teachers, students were empowered to embrace artistic challenges with confidence, contributing to their overall development as resilient and adaptable individuals.
CL Unit- Cultural Immersion Programme to Wuxi and Shanghai
In 2022, our school signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Jiangnan New City Experimental Middle School in Wuxi, China. This MOU commits us to a close partnership in three key areas:
Establishing exchange programmes for students
Developing a wide spectrum of exchange activities for school leaders and teachers
Collaborating on the teaching and learning of specific subject areas
A virtual exchange between our Chinese Language students and their counterparts at Jiangnan New City Experimental Middle School took place in May 2023. Though conducted online, this exchange enhanced the students' understanding of each other's geographical environment, historical culture, and social customs.
The actual travel exchange took place from May 28 to June 1, 2024. This trip offered our Secondary Three students a wonderful opportunity to gain valuable cultural experiences and broaden their global perspectives. In addition to visiting our Twinning School, Jiangnan New City Experimental Middle School and learning alongside its students, our students explored various historical and cultural sites in Wuxi and Shanghai. We believe this trip was not only educational but also a memorable and enriching experience for the students.
TL Unit: Strengthening of Language and Culture ‘Naanum Oru Padaippaali’ Programme 2023
(Budding Writers’ and Budding Artistes’ Programme in Tamil Language for Students in Secondary Schools)
Mother Tongue Languages Branch (MTLB) of Curriculum Planning & Development Division 1, MOE’s Tamil unit had conducted a series of workshops for secondary school & JC students who were involved in the Budding Writers’, Budding Artistes’, and Budding Poets in the `Naanum Oru Padaippaali’ Programme 2023.
The main objective of this programme is to harness the synergy across community partners and agencies to nurture the passion in students for creating local literary works of quality and to ensure a continued pipeline of local writers. To meet the objective, workshops were conducted to develop students’ skills on the fundamentals of short story writing, scriptwriting and poetry writing.
Upon completion of the workshops this year, our students submitted their creative work to local writers and scriptwriters. Based on the quality and effort of the creative works submitted by the students, our students’ creative works have selected and they were awarded during ‘Vetri Vizha’ Prize Presentation Ceremony organised by Mother Tongue Languages Branch (MTLB) of Curriculum Planning & Development Division 1, MOE’s Tamil language unit.