'Every culture deserves to be heard': The first Malay student in Ngee Ann Poly to take Chinese Studies
Shermaine Ang for The Straits Times
Born and raised in a Malay family, Syakirah Dahiyah Sudanto was introduced to Mandarin through an international pre-school which teaches children English and Mandarin.
"My mother thought since I'm speaking English and Malay at home, it would be nice to learn a third language. She thinks it would benefit me in terms of job opportunities and opportunities in life," said the 18-year-old.
Syakirah is the first Malay student to enrol in Chinese Studies in Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP), where she is in her second year. The course marked its 20th year in August.
The younger of two sisters, she was the first in her family to take Chinese language as her Mother Tongue in primary and secondary school. She enjoyed it so much that she opted to delve into the study of the language and culture in polytechnic.
"I am interested in how mysterious Chinese culture is, like for example stories behind the Lantern Festival," she said.
Another student, Darshnee Abigail Arasu, who started taking the same Chinese Studies diploma course in April, is its first Chinese-Indian student.
Ms Sandra Toh, director of the polytechnic's School of Humanities and Interdisciplinary Studies, said the enrolment of these students reflects the diploma's relevance in training bilingual and bicultural talent.
The hope is that such talent can contribute to Chinese-speaking regions and build connections between Singapore and the region, she added.
NP is the only polytechnic in Singapore that offers Chinese Studies, which covers Chinese history, culture, literature and translation. Most of the course is taught in Mandarin, with 30 per cent in English.
The diploma programme was launched in 2005 with the aim of cultivating bilingual talent, cultural fluency and business connectivity.
The course takes in around 50 students every year. To date, more than 900 have graduated from the programme.
To qualify, students must meet the O-level criteria for Chinese and English, as well as for other subjects.
In their second year, students can choose to specialise in education or business. Those on the education track are trained to become primary school teachers, while those who opt for business study Chinese business practices and communication, including translation, and event and project management.
Syakirah, who chose the business track, said she takes the chance to practise Mandarin with her classmates as she does not speak it at home.
She also uses language exchange app HelloTalk to practise conversing in Mandarin and brush up on her accent with native speakers.
While she does not consume much in the way of Chinese pop culture, Syakirah's favourite Chinese idiom applies to her outlook in life. "I believe in shui di shi chuan, which means 'dripping water penetrates stone'. It means, if you put in work consistently, you will get a breakthrough."
She hopes to study political science in university, and is still mulling over career options. "I want to help change the policies that govern Singapore, which, in turn, might help different people or help develop the community," she said.
"I believe that every culture has a speciality, and deserves to be heard, whether it's in terms of stories or food, or anything."
Darshnee, 19, a first-year Chinese Studies student and a good friend of Syakirah's, has an Indian father and a Chinese mother.
She grew up in her maternal grandmother's home, where Mandarin is spoken. She does not speak Tamil, but communicates in English with her father's side of the family.
"When I was in primary school, I had identity confusion. I didn't know who I was and why," she said.
To her surprise, her Secondary 1 classmate told her being of mixed race is "cool".
"I realised that being in a mixed-race family is special to others," said Darshnee.
"But now, I would say that growing up in a mixed-race family, you can love both cultures, and you can understand more than what your peers are learning."
For instance, she celebrates both Chinese New Year and Deepavali with both sides of her family.
"When it comes to these two festivals, all my families will gather together and celebrate. And I feel like we are one big family," she said.
Darshnee hopes to teach Chinese in secondary school. She said she is seeing more non-Chinese or mixed-race students taking Chinese as their Mother Tongue, and hopes to be a role model to them.
"I want to show them that no matter what your background is and what race you are, as long as you really love and have a passion for the Chinese language, just do it and you'll do really well."
Chinese Studies lecturer Neo Keng Hwee, who teaches modules such as translation, said both Darshnee and Syakirah have a good learning attitude. In his class, Syakirah shares examples of English-to-Malay translation.
"I think knowing the different translation principles enables the students to be more competent intercultural communicators, because it's beyond languages. They also know the cultural norms," he said.
Mr Neo said modules on contemporary China, the history of China, and Chinese culture help students know how to connect with people in places like China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
On whether he hopes to see more non-Chinese or mixed-race students in the course, he said: "We welcome passionate students with a genuine interest who meet the prerequisites."
Reflecting on how racial harmony can be nurtured in Singapore, Syakirah said: "We should educate ourselves on the different cultures here, whether it's just learning about what they can do and can't do, or the stories behind their culture.
"We should also develop a sense of empathy and understanding, so that we will be open to listening to different people."
