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."