More Students Pick Up French, German Under Flexible Language Programme

Teenager Adam Jamari, who can already speak three languages, jumped at the chance to pick up a fourth in 2024 through a flexible language programme.

- Gabrielle Chan

The 14-year-old Yuying Secondary School student, who knows English, Malay and Mandarin, said he wanted to learn French after he heard people speaking the language, as he likes how it sounds.

He is one of 500 students across 21 secondary schools who have enrolled in a pilot initiative by the Ministry of Education (MOE) called Modular Third Language Programme, which gives students the opportunity to learn French or German.

The programme was launched in July 2023 with 120 students.

Unlike the existing third language programme - where students take a language as an examinable O- or A-level subject - this modular system lets students start, stop and resume learning between terms to fit their schedules.

Each module is eight weeks long, and students can take as many modules as they want based on their ability and interest.

French classes are held at Alliance Francaise de Singapour, while German learners go to Goethe-Institut Singapore. Lessons are fully subsidised, but students have to pay for learning materials.

They can also pursue internationally recognised certifications at different proficiency levels.

Adam, who started French classes in January 2024 and has completed three modules, said he enjoyed the cultural exposure and learning more about French media and literature.

"My teachers (in the French school) tend to share a lot about their lives back home" and often discuss French customs, he added.

The flexibility reduces the pressure associated with learning a language for Adam, who attends French classes two hours every week.