Mother Tongue Language Fortnight

The Mother Tongue Language Fortnight (MTLF) organised by the Mother Tongue Department took place between 27 March and 8 April 2022. This year’s MTLF comprised of a series of activities ranging from online sharing by experts, craft making, asynchronous lessons as well as poetry and essay competitions.

The highlight of this year’s MTLF was the resumption of live performances, where H1 Chinese Language students enjoyed a face-to-face Xinyao appreciation concert. The concert was an annual publicity concert for the Xinyao Singing and Songwriting Competition which was jointly organised by the college, Lianhe Zaobao, and TCR Music Station.

Singers serenading our H1CL students with Xinyao songs

Other than the above-mentioned event, a combination of creative writing and hands-on activities were planned across all Mother Tongue units. While some H1 Chinese Language (CL) students were treated to Laopo Bing, or ‘Wife Cake’, a traditional Cantonese pastry, all H1 CL students tried their hands at creating their own blend of potpourri after learning about the medicinal purpose of different herbs and common ingredients in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Similarly, our Malay Language students created ‘bunga rampai’ from scratch and had a competition for the best decorated ‘bunga rampai’ container. The mixture of thinly sliced pandan leaves and assorted fragrant flowers is often associated with weddings and well-wishes. Students were also encouraged to unleash their creative juices through composing short stories as well as pantun and sajak writing, both of which are traditional forms of Malay poems.

Students preparing pandan leaves for bunga rampai making

Tamil Language and Indian culture-based learning activities were also organised for Tamil students to develop their interest in creative writing through a variety of activities like film review and poetry writing. Students tried their hands at Indian Canvas Art Painting, an ancient Indian art form created with oil paint and adorned with beautiful stones and colourful strings to decorate homes and corridors during celebrations.

Tamil students with their Indian canvas art painting

What better way to learn about culture than through a sensory-filled fortnight! Our students truly enjoyed themselves relishing the opportunity to immerse themselves in the rich cultural activities made available to them.