Be bilingual and the world is your oyster

Singapore’s bilingual policy and education give its citizens an edge in navigating  the modern world while preserving their roots and heritage. 

And with a strong foundation, the  world will be our children’s oyster, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee  Rajah said at last Saturday’s Most Inspiring Tamil Teacher’s award  ceremony.

National Development recalled the views of the late founding prime minister  Lee Kuan Yew.

“He said that while English connected us to the world and was needed for  trade, our Mother Tongue languages gave us the means to tap the rich heritage  that our culture offers,” said Ms Indranee.

with aerial roots over a large piece of land”.

Jointly organised by Tamil Murasu,  the Singapore Tamil Teachers’ Union and the Ministry of Education’s Tamil  Language Learning and Promotion Committee (TLLPC), the award has  been conferred on top-tier Tamil language educators since 2002.

While Ms D. Piriyadarisini won the NIE Best Tamil Teacher Trainee Award,  Senior educators Anjappan Sinna Konar and A Mallika received the lifetime  achievement awards.

Ms Mallika, who said she was moved and felt honoured, paid tribute to her father  who inculcated in her strong moral values and a passion for the Tamil language.

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