When I was in the primary school in the 1960s, there were about one-third of students in Singapore enrolled in Chinese stream schools. In the 1980s, all primary and secondary schools were in English stream and offered mother tongue teaching as a second language. After one generation and more than a quarter century, we have achieved our goal to make English the common language among Singaporeans, especially the younger generation.
We are now in a situation that all young Singaporean students are studying English as our first language. Children, growing up in an English alike mother tongue environment, will naturally regard English as their mother tongue. This helps to create and promote nationhood and common identity. In addition, it also does away the disadvantaged group who cannot command English. Hence, to many students mother tongue becomes an alien and a stranger foreign language. This is an expected outcome and we happily accept and welcome it.
We have no more students learning our mother tongue as a first language and we also do not have an education system that offers students to study in a Chinese or mother tongue stream school.
Just when we think we can do away with this language issue. And we want to move forward to become an English speaking country; some unexpected and unwanted outcomes quietly arrive even without our notice.
Our economic development requires a huge importation of foreign talents and workers. These new migrants from China, India and other countries are educated in their home countries and certainly do not learn English as their mother tongue or never regard English as their mother tongue.
So, on the one hand, locally, we do not produce students who study mother tongue as our first language. The mastery of mother tongue is weak among local students. On the other hand, new migrants have a better command of their mother tongues and relatively weak in English. As a result, we provide English training to them and want them to improve their English to match our language environment and requirement.
Our schools and institutions of higher learning have a sizable number of foreign students. These students’ mother tongues are not English and most likely are Chinese, Indian sub-continent or Southeast Asian languages. A lot of them will become residents of Singapore and their proficiency in mother tongues will remain with them.
In fact, we want them to remain proficient in their mother tongues as these are needed for Singapore external economic development. Our educational system has difficulty in producing enough bilingual workers to be posted overseas to take up the jobs created by Singapore companies. We, therefore, have this unexpected outcome.
Singapore is too small to change the world. Since independence, we work so hard to provide English learning as our priority and we nearly achieve it. However, the non-English speaking world is also making unexpected changes or changes that we don’t want to see or fail to anticipate.
Perhaps, it is a fate and turns us back to square one.
Monday 26 July 2010
Tuesday 20 July 2010
From family enterprise to enterprise family
The growth of Chinese economy has produced many big family enterprises. However, due to the small size of the family, the enterprises are now run by a group of professional managers who are committed to build a business like growing a family.
More and more successful Chinese businesses are developing “family spirit” within the companies and adopting a long term approach towards business development. It looks quite similar to the development of corporate culture and value in the western business world.
But there is one big difference. The top management in an enterprise family is playing the role of teachers, fathers, and setting value example for the whole enterprise. The top management has a moral responsibility if their employees are making mistakes or committing crimes. This is a total approach where all employees are working together as a family. The “family spirit” also extends to family members of their employees. Employees get support from family members and share their problems, difficulties and challenges with them.
In order to plant the seed of “family spirit”, Chinese enterprises have introduced the training and learning of traditional Chinese value, Confucius teaching and Chinese culture into their companies. They also organize workshops, seminars, and other group activities to improve and create awareness of traditional value. The teaching also involves topics of nature, harmony, contributions to society and motherland. It goes beyond social responsibility and covers a wider meaning of nation building.
In view of the financial crisis in the Wall Street, this approach may have a better meaning than just restricting the bonuses of the investment bankers, financial brokers and advisers. Chinese value believes in self evaluation and assessment. One has to be self managed and disciplined. Internally a person has to maintain value system and keep on improving attitude and behavior. If one does not have the self management and improvement, one will never be able to influence others externally and help the whole organization to improve.
By this logic, leadership in a Chinese enterprise family will not be judged by sales performance, productivity improvement or cost saving in the company. The leadership quality is measured by its contribution to employees, society, and mankind. It seems to be a utopia and a tall order impossible to reach.
More and more successful Chinese businesses are developing “family spirit” within the companies and adopting a long term approach towards business development. It looks quite similar to the development of corporate culture and value in the western business world.
But there is one big difference. The top management in an enterprise family is playing the role of teachers, fathers, and setting value example for the whole enterprise. The top management has a moral responsibility if their employees are making mistakes or committing crimes. This is a total approach where all employees are working together as a family. The “family spirit” also extends to family members of their employees. Employees get support from family members and share their problems, difficulties and challenges with them.
In order to plant the seed of “family spirit”, Chinese enterprises have introduced the training and learning of traditional Chinese value, Confucius teaching and Chinese culture into their companies. They also organize workshops, seminars, and other group activities to improve and create awareness of traditional value. The teaching also involves topics of nature, harmony, contributions to society and motherland. It goes beyond social responsibility and covers a wider meaning of nation building.
In view of the financial crisis in the Wall Street, this approach may have a better meaning than just restricting the bonuses of the investment bankers, financial brokers and advisers. Chinese value believes in self evaluation and assessment. One has to be self managed and disciplined. Internally a person has to maintain value system and keep on improving attitude and behavior. If one does not have the self management and improvement, one will never be able to influence others externally and help the whole organization to improve.
By this logic, leadership in a Chinese enterprise family will not be judged by sales performance, productivity improvement or cost saving in the company. The leadership quality is measured by its contribution to employees, society, and mankind. It seems to be a utopia and a tall order impossible to reach.
Monday 12 July 2010
Central is not the middle
Chinese or Chinese people always give confusing answer or reply to a certain question. People who do not understand the characteristics of Chinese and Chinese thoughts will form misconceptions and think Chinese are not serious in life or not discharging their duties accordingly.
If one understands the concept of “central is not the middle”, perhaps one will understand why Chinese react in a different way. In the book “Zhong yong” (中庸), the central position is not necessary to be in the middle. Or, in a simple explanation, the central point of 100 marks for an examination may not necessary is 50 marks. You have to consider a suitable passing mark as the central point. This is why in some examinations, the passing marks can be as high as 70 and the other can be as low as 40.
There must be some reasons why the passing marks are different for different examinations.
Reasoning or giving a meaning to the subject is a key and important consideration. When the assessors or evaluators decide on a passing mark, they need to consider the knowledge that a student is suppose to possess. In this case, the central point (50) may not be a suitable indicator of acquiring certain knowledge. For professional exams, the required passing mark is set higher and for common exams, it can be lower.
“Zhong yong” is one of 4 Confucianism books (四书). Zhong mean central/middle (harmony) and yong means always (happenings). In simple translation, Zhong yong means one’s behaviour should always in the central reasoning that leads to harmony. This teaching sometimes have been criticised for weak behaviour as it always moves along the middle to please others.
When a Chinese gives his reply, he may not stick to the central point or an always expected answer. He will form his own reasoning. For A candidate, the passing mark is 50, B 60 and C 40. He evaluates the situation and gives different passing marks. Outsiders will wonder why there is no standard passing mark. For his reasoning perspective, he has input the concept of standard deviation. While as an outsider, we always look at the mean.
If one knows some things about Yijing (易经), here is another example. There are always 6 rows to form a Gua (卦), how come the central position is not row 3 and row 4 but row 2 and row 5. On surface, 3 and 4 is the central of 6 rows. However, you need to understand the formation of Gua, then you will realise why there are 2 centres and a Gua has the upper and lower portion. Each portion has a central. Yijing is a difficult topic and it involves many changes. And so the central positions will change from time to time, from place to place and form person to person.
If one understands the concept of “central is not the middle”, perhaps one will understand why Chinese react in a different way. In the book “Zhong yong” (中庸), the central position is not necessary to be in the middle. Or, in a simple explanation, the central point of 100 marks for an examination may not necessary is 50 marks. You have to consider a suitable passing mark as the central point. This is why in some examinations, the passing marks can be as high as 70 and the other can be as low as 40.
There must be some reasons why the passing marks are different for different examinations.
Reasoning or giving a meaning to the subject is a key and important consideration. When the assessors or evaluators decide on a passing mark, they need to consider the knowledge that a student is suppose to possess. In this case, the central point (50) may not be a suitable indicator of acquiring certain knowledge. For professional exams, the required passing mark is set higher and for common exams, it can be lower.
“Zhong yong” is one of 4 Confucianism books (四书). Zhong mean central/middle (harmony) and yong means always (happenings). In simple translation, Zhong yong means one’s behaviour should always in the central reasoning that leads to harmony. This teaching sometimes have been criticised for weak behaviour as it always moves along the middle to please others.
When a Chinese gives his reply, he may not stick to the central point or an always expected answer. He will form his own reasoning. For A candidate, the passing mark is 50, B 60 and C 40. He evaluates the situation and gives different passing marks. Outsiders will wonder why there is no standard passing mark. For his reasoning perspective, he has input the concept of standard deviation. While as an outsider, we always look at the mean.
If one knows some things about Yijing (易经), here is another example. There are always 6 rows to form a Gua (卦), how come the central position is not row 3 and row 4 but row 2 and row 5. On surface, 3 and 4 is the central of 6 rows. However, you need to understand the formation of Gua, then you will realise why there are 2 centres and a Gua has the upper and lower portion. Each portion has a central. Yijing is a difficult topic and it involves many changes. And so the central positions will change from time to time, from place to place and form person to person.
Monday 5 July 2010
Relevancy of Confucius and traditional Chinese thoughts
On 30 June 2010, Peking University announced the founding of a Confucianism Research Institute to promote academic studies about traditional culture and explore the contemporary significance of Confucian studies. Most newspapers did not carry the news and those did just give a small mention about it.
So, why should we concern about it? Are Confucius and traditional Chinese thoughts still relevant in modern days? What are the contemporary meanings of these thoughts? And whether they can be applied to our advancement and progress?
To ordinary people, Confucius and traditional Chinese thoughts are too remote. It has nothing to do with them. Furthermore, these more than 2000 years of philosophy and teaching have no applicable value and in a materialistic world like we are facing now why should one upright our value and ethnics?
The western world has experienced Renaissance in the 14th century and the after effect is so great that it leads to the emergence of middle class, capitalism, discovery of America, industrial revolution, democracy, arts and culture advancement, scientific and engineering achievements etc. Renaissance has made the west stronger and powerful. However, Renaissance is originated from the ancient Greece – the origin of western civilization.
In the process of Renaissance, change in language usage also plays an important role. The Renaissance is not using Greece or Latin languages but a new and simplified Italian language in Florence. An old thought and ancient civilization were rejuvenated using another easy to communicate language to spread the creativity, innovation, challenges and adventure spirit.
However, there is no Renaissance in Chinese or Indian civilization. One would have to think of the impact Renaissance bring to the world and then imagine what the significance that the Chinese or Indian renaissance will bring to our modern world.
The Chinese language has experienced some revolution changes in the past 100 years. The new Cultural campaign (新文化运动) promoting the use of bai hua wen (白话文
common and daily communication usage) rather than the use of wen yan wen (文言文based on old traditional writing) in the beginning of the last century. It was later followed by simplified Chinese, Hanyu Pinying, and the latest technology – internet. It has some similar background development for Renaissance 500 and 600 years ago.
It is still too early to tell whether there will be a Chinese Renaissance. But from the economic data, it looks like there will be a Chinese century. Will a Chinese century also bring along a Chinese Renaissance? We will have to wait and see.
In the past 10 to 15 years, there is a wave in leaning guoxue （国学） – a combination of old and traditional Chinese culture, thoughts and values. With the setting up of Confucianism Research Institute, it now goes further, deeper and specialises on Confucius and his followers and their application and relevancy to the modern world.
Hence, we should not downplay and underestimate the establishment of Confucianism Research Institute.
So, why should we concern about it? Are Confucius and traditional Chinese thoughts still relevant in modern days? What are the contemporary meanings of these thoughts? And whether they can be applied to our advancement and progress?
To ordinary people, Confucius and traditional Chinese thoughts are too remote. It has nothing to do with them. Furthermore, these more than 2000 years of philosophy and teaching have no applicable value and in a materialistic world like we are facing now why should one upright our value and ethnics?
The western world has experienced Renaissance in the 14th century and the after effect is so great that it leads to the emergence of middle class, capitalism, discovery of America, industrial revolution, democracy, arts and culture advancement, scientific and engineering achievements etc. Renaissance has made the west stronger and powerful. However, Renaissance is originated from the ancient Greece – the origin of western civilization.
In the process of Renaissance, change in language usage also plays an important role. The Renaissance is not using Greece or Latin languages but a new and simplified Italian language in Florence. An old thought and ancient civilization were rejuvenated using another easy to communicate language to spread the creativity, innovation, challenges and adventure spirit.
However, there is no Renaissance in Chinese or Indian civilization. One would have to think of the impact Renaissance bring to the world and then imagine what the significance that the Chinese or Indian renaissance will bring to our modern world.
The Chinese language has experienced some revolution changes in the past 100 years. The new Cultural campaign (新文化运动) promoting the use of bai hua wen (白话文
common and daily communication usage) rather than the use of wen yan wen (文言文based on old traditional writing) in the beginning of the last century. It was later followed by simplified Chinese, Hanyu Pinying, and the latest technology – internet. It has some similar background development for Renaissance 500 and 600 years ago.
It is still too early to tell whether there will be a Chinese Renaissance. But from the economic data, it looks like there will be a Chinese century. Will a Chinese century also bring along a Chinese Renaissance? We will have to wait and see.
In the past 10 to 15 years, there is a wave in leaning guoxue （国学） – a combination of old and traditional Chinese culture, thoughts and values. With the setting up of Confucianism Research Institute, it now goes further, deeper and specialises on Confucius and his followers and their application and relevancy to the modern world.
Hence, we should not downplay and underestimate the establishment of Confucianism Research Institute.
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