The Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism has committed nearly $35 million to projects promoting bilingualism in the 15 years since it was established. From next year, mother tongue preschool publications produced by SPH Media, including Thumbs Up Little Junior, will be distributed to all preschools in Singapore, reaching about 72,000 children.
Supported by the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism, the Chinese, Malay and Tamil publications — Thumbs Up Little Junior, Cilik Cerdik and Balar Murasu respectively — are currently distributed free of charge to Ministry of Education (MOE) kindergartens and preschool centres run by anchor operators and social service agencies, benefiting about 43,000 children.
Minister for Education and Minister-in-Charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee announced the expansion of the scheme to all Kindergarten 1 (K1) and Kindergarten 2 (K2) pupils at the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism 15th Anniversary Commemorative Event, held at the SPH News Centre auditorium on Tuesday (27 October). Lee is also chairman of the fund.
In his speech, he said the fund had committed nearly $35 million to close to 290 projects, including workshops, performances, publications and multimedia resources.
It places particular emphasis on the preschool years, supporting the development of quality local resources to help young children build a foundation in English and their mother tongue.
Lee noted that the early years matter for language learning. Parents and grandparents play a very big part at home through storytelling, songs and everyday conversations.
The fund supports families in developing their children's language skills through its partnership with SPH Media on the preschool publications Thumbs Up Little Junior, Cilik Cerdik and Balar Murasu.
“From next year, all preschool children will have access to these publications. Every child should have good Mother Tongue Language materials from an early age.”
The Malay and Tamil preschool publications will also launch apps to provide parents and children with more resources.
Thumbs Up Little Junior, launched in 2013, introduced an app in late 2020 featuring animated children's songs, games and craft videos.
As children grow, the ways of engaging them must also change. Lee said the fund had, since 2024, reached out to youth and young adults, working with institutes of higher learning, community organisations and content creators.
“The idea is simple: meet young people where they are, encourage them to use their Mother Tongue Languages, and help them see bilingualism as a real advantage.”
Lee noted that founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had described language policy as a never-ending journey in his book My Lifelong Challenge: Singapore's Bilingual Journey. The fund's work was no different. “Educating children is not something one person can do alone. Families, schools and society must work together.
“The Fund will keep working closely with MOE, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, our Language Councils and community partners. We will make good use of technology, deepen our partnerships, and strengthen support for bilingualism.”
Media builds bridges between language and culture
SPH Media Limited Managing Director Kuek Yu Chuang is also a board member of the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism.
Kuek said many Singapore families primarily communicate in English, making it all the more important to provide them with more mother tongue learning materials for young children. “This gives parents more choices and makes it easier to create a mother tongue environment at home.”
He believed the media's role in promoting bilingual learning and biculturalism was self-evident. “The media is a bridge connecting language and culture. These three publications play a vital role.”
Tan Leng Tuan, an editor at Young Audience and HeyKaki, said the Chinese Media Group welcomed the opportunity for Thumbs Up Little Junior to reach more preschool children and families.
“We hope more teachers, parents and members of the public who are passionate about bilingual education will take part in our activities, such as children's song-writing and performance competitions, to foster a stronger environment for learning Chinese and Mandarin in Singapore.”
The Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, has supported nearly 290 projects.
With support from the National Parks Board and the fund, and sponsorship from AirAsia Move, local audio technology company Cinewav organised the Echoes of the Forbidden Hill: A Bilingual Quest Experience treasure hunt at Fort Canning Park this year, encouraging participants to communicate in their mother tongues as they tackled challenges.
Cinewav Co-Founders Jason Chan and Christian Lee said they may next tap the platform's technological strengths to create mother tongue content at different difficulty levels for different age groups, allowing everyone to enjoy an immersive bilingual experience that combines learning with fun.
