台湾浸濡学习之行（2009）

参访交流：政治大学（与周祝瑛教授合影）

参访交流：达人女中

参访交流：北一女

最精彩的参访：参观中天电视台与商业周刊

亲手制作凤梨酥

台北故宫博物院留影

台大校门前与康桥学伴的“全家福”

关渡—八里单车行启程前的大合照

吔！我们可是骑了近40公里哦！
相关链接：
（台湾）康桥双语实验高中：
第三屆德明政府中學與康橋交流活動 Day 1
第三屆德明政府中學與康橋交流活動 Day 2

（台湾）自由時報：
星高中生來台交流 愛自由學風
新加坡學子參訪 康橋人陪騎

（台湾）聯合報：
星中學生訪台 公費體驗雙文化
德明訪台HOME STAY體驗文化

（台湾）普台高级中学：

新加坡德明政府中学与普台高中学生进行教育交流

（台湾）国立政治大学：

新加坡德明政府中學參訪

星德明政府中學參訪英明國中

美哉英明 少年鷹颺 星國學子跨海參訪

新加坡德明政府中学来访，听取从经济学看世界课程

新加坡德明政府中学来台参访28日

台湾双文化浸濡之康桥交流心得

Controversy over the idea of a bicultural elite

Review-Insight, The Straits Times, 20/11/2009

IN SEPTEMBER 2004, then-Minister of State for Education Chan Choo Sen announced that the Bicultural Studies Programme (BSP) would begin at three Special Assistance Plan schools – Hwa Chong Institution, Nanyang Girls' High School and Dunman High School.

This came three months after then-Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew spoke of the need to groom a new Chinese bicultural elite to keep Singapore engaged with China in the future.

"To ride on China's growth, Singapore needs a core group with a deep understanding of contemporary China. This means bilingual as well as bicultural groups of key players.

"Bilingualism gets us through the front door, but it is only through biculturalism that we can have deep understanding of China and the Chinese people, and work with them," he said at a conference at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

He also spoke about Singapore's deep links to the Islamic world, as well as the need to engage India.

The idea of such a "bicultural elite" created a controversy, with sceptics asking what this group could do in China that a bilingual Singaporean could not.

Some saw it as a tacit admission of the limits of 40 years of bilingualism while others questioned the elitist connotations of such a programme and whether minorities would feel alienated.

But its supporters said that given Singapore's strategy of pragmatic survival and attempts to make itself relevant to the world, the programme would reap economic benefits from one of the fastest-growing and largest economies in the world.

Dr Goh Nguen Wah, adjunct professor of NTU's Master of Public Administration programme, said: "Will the programme breed elitism? Well, it should not because it is not just designed to groom government leaders and public service officials alone."

Dr Goh, who is the former associate editor of Lianhe Zaobao, added: "It is about broadening students' intellectual horizons and creating a more balanced outlook of the rapidly changing world. People in a tiny city-state like Singapore can't afford to be frogs in a well."

The BSP is now conducted in the Chinese language. But students who are interested in China but do not speak Mandarin can take up China Studies in English at the A levels, although they will not qualify for BSP.

Currently, there are no Ministry of Education bicultural programmes in other languages or in the study of countries like India, but schools like Raffles Institution offer bicultural programmes covering India and the Middle East region, in addition to the China programme.

Under Raffles Institution's India programme, introduced in 2006, students are sent on trips to Chennai and Mumbai.

The Middle East programme, started in 2007, is business-oriented and requires students to learn conversational Arabic. Students go to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain on immersion trips.

Primed to bridge East and West / Absorbing the culture they study

By CAI HAOXIANG, The Straits Times, 20/11/2009

The Bicultural Studies Programme was launched five years ago to groom a core group of bilingual Singaporeans who can engage both China and the West. The pioneering batch who underwent the programme from Secondary 3 to junior college are now in their first year of university. How did they fare? What were the results? Here's the report card.

WHEN Ms Tseng Xin Ying visited Beijing University in 2007 as part of the Education Ministry's Bicultural Studies Programme (BSP), she was amazed by the sight of people reading in every nook and cranny on the campus.

Many students were so deeply engrossed in their books by the picturesque Weiming lake that they did not realise they were attracting a tourist's attention.

Then 17, the young Singaporean was so impressed that she decided to apply to study Chinese language and literature and international relations there.

"I wanted to go to a university with a conducive atmosphere, so I decided that this was it," said the former Dunman High School student.

She is one of the more than 300 pioneering students who have graduated from the BSP programme and are now in their first year of university, studying a range of subjects here and abroad.

Running from Secondary 3 to the second year of junior college, the BSP aims to groom a core group of bilingual students who can understand and engage China as well as the West.

Launched in Hwa Chong Institution, Dunman High and Nanyang Girls' High in 2005, the BSP attracts an average of 330 students each year. River Valley High School also started offering the programme in 2007.

BSP students cover an intensive curriculum in the Chinese language, culture and literature. Some go overseas for lengthy immersion trips, spending up to six months in China.

The most outstanding students from each cohort are offered the BSP scholarship, which provides an allowance of $1,000 a year. Scholarship holders make up a third of the 300 or so students every year.

The scholarship holders have to take China Studies in Chinese at the H2 level, which is roughly equivalent to the A levels. They are heavily subsidised for two overseas immersion programmes, one lasting two to six months in China and the other, two weeks in another country.

A Straits Times check with the three schools which started the scheme found that many BSP graduates are now in fields like law, medicine and economics.

At first glance, the disciplines seem totally unrelated to the Chinese language, history or culture. But the students interviewed said they were positive about the many opportunities offered by the programme.

The most popular course with Hwa Chong's first batch was medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS) with 10 students, or one-eighth of the cohort, pursuing it. The next three most popular courses were business, international relations and law.

Mr Branden Seow Zi Xuan, 19, a former Hwa Chong student, had dreamt of becoming a doctor since childhood. But he also wanted to know more about Chinese culture and contemporary China.

When the opportunity came, he realised that he could take China Studies at H2 level, along with chemistry, biology and mathematics, which would enable him to apply to medical school at NUS.

Having travelled to Zhejiang, Beijing, Shanghai and Hainan under the BSP, he felt his experiences in China will enable him to establish a better rapport with Chinese patients in the future.

"I will ask my patient which part of China he comes from. Then I will know what to ask, to strike up a conversation and generate goodwill," said Mr Seow, who is now studying medicine at NUS.

"It's still early, but I'm keeping an open mind. If Chinese patients were to come to Singapore, I can help in managing their care as I believe I will be able to establish a rapport with them."

The 62 pioneering students from Nanyang Girls' are studying a range of subjects from international relations, science and medicine to economics, accountancy and business, and law. Dunman High's 124 students are also pursuing a similar range of subjects here and abroad.

Said Ms Tan Mei Hui, 19, a former Dunman High student who is now pursuing a Bachelor of Music at the Royal College of Music in London: "Although the BSP did not have a direct influence on my decision to study music in Britain, it has further enhanced my ability to appreciate the beauty of other cultures."

She added that the BSP helped make students more appreciative of other cultures, and more socially conscious.

Evaluating the programme

AS THE pioneering students are barely in their first year of university, it is too early to evaluate the results of the BSP programme.

But if one goes by the popularity of the programme, academic honours awarded to students and tie-ups with Chinese universities, the results have been gratifying.

Since 2005, an average of 330 students have been selected for the BSP each year, with numbers fluctuating between years.

For Dunman High's BSP, more students are applying for the 80 to 100 spots – from about 100 in 2007 to 120 this year, according to Dr Ong Chun Ghee, head of the bicultural studies academy at the school.

The quality of students has also risen, he noted: "We observe that students with better results are applying for the programme, with more parents inquiring."

Students interviewed said they will recommend the programme to their peers because it provides a well-rounded education and overseas immersion.

But Ms Serene Lim Si Ling, 19, who is studying Chinese language and literature at Fudan University, had this piece of advice: "Students should have an open mind to accept the differences so that they can really learn from the experiences, no matter good or bad."

Meanwhile, Ms Choo Wen Rui, 19. warned that students should join the BSP out of "true interest".

Said the Nanyang Technological University undergraduate, who is studying biomedical sciences and Chinese medicine: "If you're attracted only by the overseas immersion programme, you might struggle if you're not interested in Chinese culture, especially in junior college, when you have to do a lot of reading for the China Studies class."

One positive result of the programme: The Prime Minister's Book Prize, awarded for bilingual excellence, has been given to seven BSP students – five from Hwa Chong and two from Dunman High.

BSP students have also demonstrated their mettle by winning scholarships to universities here and abroad, especially in China.

Hwa Chong principal Ang Wee Hiong expects many of his students to qualify for public scholarships as well as those offered by private companies with business interests in China.

"In time, many will become industry leaders in areas such as journalism, broadcasting, business, teaching and academia," he said.

Indeed, the numbers are looking up for Hwa Chong, where 34 of the 80 students in its graduating BSP batch have been awarded overseas scholarships to top institutions such as China's Beijing and Fudan universities, Britain's Oxford University and American Ivy League colleges like Dartmouth and the University of Pennsylvania.

Another important indicator would be the amount of time students spend in China, noted Chinese language expert Chua Chee Lay, who is one of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's Chinese language tutors.

It is through cultural immersion that students understand how the Chinese think, said Dr Chua, who is chief executive of Chinese language and culture research and training centre CL Lab.

One student who stood out is Ms Tan Bao Jia, 19, from Dunman High, one of the six President's Scholarship winners this year.

Bucking the trend of her predecessors who went to big-name British and American universities, she decided to study economics at Beijing University.

She joins nine former Dunman High students in her batch who are now studying in China's Fudan and Beijing universities.

In the last two years, both Hwa Chong and Dunman High have announced tie-ups which allow students to study at prestigious Chinese universities like Beijing, Fudan and Qinghua.

However, while academic results indicate how well a student understands the Chinese language, culture and history, Dr Chua cautioned that these are not enough.

"Students should have a deeper understanding of the culture they are studying, and to absorb it, make it part of their lives. That is real education," he said.

"The highest level of evaluation is to see if students can internalise what they have learnt."

Citing an example from the epic novel Journey To The West, one of the "Four Classics" that capture the essence of Chinese culture, Dr Chua noted that the main character Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, is a skilled and strong fighter.

It would be good if a student can pick out the strong and weak points from the story and apply what he knows to real-life situations, he said.

"A person may have a weak personality and often run away from difficulties. But he can be inspired by the Monkey King's fighting spirit, such that he develops a strong will, stops running away and changes for the better, thereby improving his life."

新加坡德明政府中学 访康桥双语实验高中

（台湾联合报，09/11/2009）

——》请点击这里看影音视频。

新加坡再次在“汉语桥”世界中学生中文比赛中获得冠军

2009年10月31日新加坡的青少年再次震撼了中国人的心。

新加坡队又一次赢得了“汉语桥”世界中学生中文比赛第一名。本次比赛是第二届中学生“汉语桥”比赛，新加坡在2008年获得首届冠军之后又蝉联冠军。所有的选手和中国重庆人都竖起了大拇指表达赞叹之情。第二届“汉语桥”世界中学生中文比赛有29个国家参加共35支队伍。各队都派出三位年龄介于15岁至20岁的在校学生参加。代表新加坡队的三位选手分别来自：德明政府中学，南洋女中和励仁高中。

德明政府中学是第二次派学生参加，选手来自高一年级，黄琡婷同学。琡婷说：“去重庆比赛之前压力很大，因为学姐Evangelyn在第一届“汉语桥”比赛时取得了团体冠军及综合个人三等奖的优异成绩。我好担心会给新加坡丢脸……”没有料到的是琡婷也带回了团体冠军及个人综合三等奖的佳绩。由于参赛的队伍比去年多，所以琡婷取得成绩更为不易。

此次的“汉语桥”比赛体现了新加坡华语的水平及学生的临场反应能力，学生取得的优异成绩与老师的精心培养密不可分，在此我们要感谢所有教导过琡婷的老师们，特别是华文老师，是老师们的努力，新加坡的华文教学才能取得如此好的佳绩。

从左至右：励仁高中郑祖鹏、南洋女中徐晶莹、德明政府中学黄琡婷

2009年劲爆剧场大比拼

日期：2009年12月4日 （星期五）

时间：7.30pm

地点：德明表演艺术中心（Performing Arts Centre)

票价：五元

想进一步地了解即兴劲爆剧场，可浏览以下网站：
http://www.tsporters-singapore.blogspot.com/

南京浸濡学习之行（2009）

相关链接：
新加坡德明政府中学来我校参加双文化浸濡活动
新加坡德明政府中学师生来基地开展活动
新加坡师生来晓院附中访问交流
80名新加坡师生来海门市学习