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Learning your Mother Tongue Language while living overseas
Overview
All students in Singapore are required to study MTL in school and register for national examinations such as the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), GCE N-Level, GCE O-Level/Secondary 麻豆传媒在线 Certificate from 2027, and GCE A-Level, unless they have received approval to be exempted from learning MTL.
As a Singaporean living overseas, your child is highly encouraged to study MTL. This can help them adapt more easily when they return to school in Singapore.
How to do it
If you have applied for a Leave of Absence (LOA) for your child, you can approach the school for an LOA package that contains a checklist to help your child sustain their MTL learning before departure, while overseas, and upon return.
The LOA package also includes a list of MTL learning resources. Your child can access MOE curriculum-aligned resources, such as MTL digital resources and interactive lesson packages, through the Student Learning Space (SLS), to learn at their own pace. Find out how to apply for an SLS account.
Students returning to Singapore
Schools implement differentiated instruction according to students’ abilities. The MTL curriculum recognises the diverse learning needs of students and is designed to enable every student to learn MTL to as high a level as possible.
There are programmes in place to support returning students’ MTL learning readiness.