THE Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan's promotion of Chinese language and culture has worked well in its five primary schools, and Education Minister Ng Eng Hen yesterday suggested that others follow its lead.

The first cohort of Primary 6 pupils enrolled in the clan association's Bicultural Chinese Elective Programme graduated yesterday.

The 163 graduating children are top pupils from the five primary schools run by the clan association - Tao Nan School, Ai Tong School, Chong Fu Primary School, Nan Chiau Primary School and Kong Hwa School.

Pupils are offered the chance to join the three-year elective course, which begins from Primary 4, based on their interest in the Chinese language and overall grades.

The curriculum is devised by the Chinese teachers from the five primary schools, who meet regularly to discuss how to engage pupils in Chinese history, literature, speech and language.

To make lessons interesting, pupils learn about traditional Chinese medicine and write Chinese poems, for example. They also get to go on a one-week trip to China, to take classes alongside their Chinese counterparts and visit historical sights.

Yesterday, the pupils put the fruits of their cultural study on display, in a show that included a short play, a poetry recital and a comedy skit.

Graduating pupils interested in furthering their Chinese cultural studies can enrol in a similar programme at Dunman High, Hwa Chong Institution, River Valley High or Nanyang Girls' High.

One of the graduating pupils, Hilary Tsui, 12, from Ai Tong Primary, has her heart set on studying at Nanyang Girls' High next year.

She said: 'I love learning Chinese. I don't want it to be over.'

Mr Thomas Chua, the Huay Kuan's education committee chairman, said: 'We want to continue refining our curriculum, to see how we can improve and support our pupils.'

In a few years, the clan association may look into extending the programme to lower primary pupils, he added.

Dr Ng, who attended yesterday's graduation ceremony at Tao Nan School in Marine Parade, said he hoped the Hokkien Huay Kuan's programme could be extended to, or be emulated by, other schools.

It was a timely effort, given the growing importance of China and the need to preserve the Singaporean identity, culture and values, he added.

The clan's efforts were among several initiatives, including a ministry-led Chinese language curriculum review in 2004, to get students interested in learning Chinese.

And such efforts are paying off, said the minister. Last year, 27 per cent of O-level Chinese candidates sat for the Higher Chinese examination, up from 19 per cent in 2007 and double the proportion a decade ago.

But bilingualism remains a cornerstone of the education system, Dr Ng stressed.

Fluency in English enables Singaporean students to navigate the Internet with ease, he said, and perform well in international rankings, propelling 'not tens, but hundreds of students to Stanford, Cornell, Oxford and Cambridge'.

But the policy should respond to changing demographics.

Dr Ng noted that the number of Primary 1 pupils in English-speaking homes was rising; more Chinese, Indian and Malay pupils now speak English at home than was the case 30 years ago.

That observation, he said, led to the new 'modular approach' in primary-level Chinese-language classes, where pupils take different learning modules based on their ability.

With the new format, pupils say they find lessons more interesting, and are using Chinese more in schools and at home, Dr Ng said.

Referring to those who are bilingual, he said: 'Analysts say the next century will be an Asian century; they will be the leaders of Singapore who will have a relevance in China and Asia.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.