Mother Tongue Languages

Discover how our Mother Tongue Language programmes build confident communicators. Through cultural activities, reading, and festive celebrations, students grow to love their language and heritage.

Last updated 10 June 2026

Vision

Every Child An Engaged Mother Tongue Language Learner

Mission

To cultivate effective and confident communicators in Mother Tongue Language with a passion for Mother Tongue culture.

Key Programmes

Mother Tongue Language (MTL) Fortnight

This annual programme provides opportunities to learn more about their MTL and its culture. During MTL Fortnight, students are exposed to a variety of activities to enable them to learn and use MTL beyond the classroom. These activities include performing arts such as drama, cross talk, and learning journeys, as well as introductions to facets of Chinese, Malay and Indian culture. Students are exposed to a variety of activities to enable them to learn and use MTL beyond the classroom.

Children in blue uniforms hold small drums, sticks, and colorful scarves in a bright indoor hall with two adult women.

Students in blue uniforms sit at desks weaving yellow paper strips into basket shapes in a classroom.

Reading Programme

Developing an effective reading program is vital to teaching literacy from an early age. The reading programme aims to help students develop the habit of reading for pleasure by exposing them to a variety of storybooks in Mother Tongue Language. Activities are designed to encourage students to review and talk about the books that they have read. These activities include story-telling by authors and manga drawing workshop.

A display of colorful Chinese children's books spread on a pink table with a bookshelf and cartoon drawing in the background.

Young students in blue uniforms sit at blue desks writing in a bright classroom with portraits on the wall.

Festive Celebrations

The school celebrates Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Puasa and Deepavali as a community. We encourage our students to celebrate their own traditions while promoting the understanding and respect of different cultures amongst our students.

Three colorful lion dance costumes performed on stage with confetti falling at Telok Kurau Primary School.

Six girls in colorful traditional costumes perform a coordinated dance on a wooden stage with arms extended.

Seven people on a wooden stage learn to play traditional drums, watched by seated students in blue uniforms.

MTL Learning Journey

Learning goes beyond the classrooms. The school organises drama appreciation excursion for selected pupils offering Chinese Language, Malay Language and Tamil Language as their Mother Tongue Language. The purpose of these excursions is to expose our pupils to performing arts as well as to promote greater interest in the learning of different mother tongue languages.