All K1, K2 children to get SPH Media mother tongue publications monthly from 2027 to boost learning从2027年起，所有K1、K2年级的学生每月都将收到新加坡报业控股（SPH Media）出版的母语刊物，以促进学习。
Around 72,000 kids will each receive Thumbs Up Little Junior in Chinese, Cilik Cerdik in Malay or Balar Murasu in Tamil. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Education Minister Desmond Lee giving a speech at the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism 15th anniversary at SPH Auditorium, on Oct 27.
ST PHOTO: HESTER TAN
Published Oct 27, 2026, 01:00 PM
Updated Oct 27, 2026, 01:00 PM
SINGAPORE – All children in Kindergarten 1 and 2 will receive their own copy of a mother tongue publication every month from April 2027 to boost their learning of language.
This is part of an expanded initiative by the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism, said Education Minister Desmond Lee on Oct 27 at the fund’s 15th anniversary.
“The early years matter for language learning, and parents and grandparents play a very big part through storytelling, songs and everyday conversations in and outside the home,” he said at the event held at the SPH Auditorium.
Around 72,000 pre-schoolers will each receive one of three SPH Media publications: Thumbs Up Little Junior in Chinese, Cilik Cerdik in Malay and Balar Murasu in Tamil.
Supported by the bilingualism fund, the publications currently reach about 43,000 pre-schoolers, who share them at MOE kindergartens, anchor operator pre-schools and pre-schools run by social service agencies.
From 2027, these periodicals will also be distributed to partner operator and private pre-schools.
They feature age-appropriate content rooted in local culture and values to encourage early reading habits and interest in the three languages.
Two new mobile apps will also be launched from 2027 to complement Cilik Cerdik and Balar Murasu, joining the existing Thumbs Up Little Junior app.
Available in English and the respective mother tongue language, the new apps will offer stories, songs and games to help parents and children learn together at home.
To further encourage parent-child engagement, parents can access electronic versions of Thumbs Up Little Junior, Cilik Cerdik and Balar Murasu via the app’s Parent Centre. They will be able to set screen time limits.
Lee noted that English is now the main language spoken in many homes, and said Singapore must keep finding ways to make mother tongue learning relevant and engaging.
Bilingualism remains an “asset for life” , he added.
“Singaporeans who can use two languages well are better able to build bridges across cultures and seize opportunities in a globalised world.”
Minister Desmond Lee talks to author Khaja Mohamed lqbal who wrote the books sponsored by the fund at SPH Auditorium, on Oct 27. ST PHOTO: HESTER TAN
Minister Desmond Lee talks to author Khaja Mohamed lqbal who wrote the books sponsored by the fund at SPH Auditorium, on Oct 27.
The fund was announced in 2011 at the launch of Lee Kuan Yew’s book, My Lifelong Challenge: Singapore’s Bilingual Journey. Since then, it has committed close to $35 million to support nearly 290 projects, ranging from workshops and performances to publications and multimedia resources.
From 2024, it expanded its outreach to post-secondary youth, working with institutes of higher learning, content creators and community organisations to build their confidence in using their mother tongue languages.
教育部长李智陞于10月27日在新加坡报业控股礼堂举行的李光耀双语基金成立15周年庆典上发表讲话。
圣路易斯邮报照片：海丝特·谭
发布于2026年10月27日下午1点
更新于2026年10月27日下午1点
新加坡——从 2027 年 4 月起，所有幼儿园 1 年级和 2 年级的儿童每月都将收到一份母语出版物，以促进他们的语言学习。
教育部长李智陞于10月27日在李光耀双语基金成立15周年纪念活动上表示，这是李光耀双语基金扩大计划的一部分。
“早期对语言学习至关重要，父母和祖父母通过讲故事、唱歌以及在家中和家外的日常对话发挥着非常重要的作用，”他在新加坡公共卫生学院礼堂举行的活动上说道。
大约 72,000 名学龄前儿童将每人收到新加坡报业控股 (SPH) 媒体出版的三本刊物之一：中文版《Thumbs Up Little Junior》、马来语版《Cilik Cerdik》和泰米尔语版《Balar Murasu》。
在双语基金的支持下，这些出版物目前惠及约 43,000 名学龄前儿童，他们在教育部幼儿园、重点运营幼儿园和由社会服务机构运营的幼儿园分享这些出版物。
从 2027 年起，这些期刊还将分发给合作运营商和私立幼儿园。
它们以当地文化和价值观为基础，提供适合年龄段的内容，以培养早期阅读习惯和对这三种语言的兴趣。
从 2027 年起，还将推出两款新的移动应用程序，以补充 Cilik Cerdik 和 Balar Murasu，与现有的 Thumbs Up Little Junior 应用程序一起运行。
这些新应用将提供英语和相应的母语版本，内容包括故事、歌曲和游戏，帮助家长和孩子在家一起学习。
为了进一步鼓励亲子互动，家长可以通过应用程序的家长中心访问 Thumbs Up Little Junior、Cilik Cerdik 和 Balar Murasu 的电子版本，并设置屏幕使用时间限制。
李指出，英语现在是许多家庭的主要语言，并表示新加坡必须不断寻找方法，使母语学习变得有意义且有趣。
他补充说，双语能力仍然是一项“终身财富”。
“能够熟练使用两种语言的新加坡人更有能力跨越文化障碍，在全球化的世界中抓住机遇。”
10月27日，李智陞部长在新加坡报业控股礼堂会见了由该基金赞助出版书籍的作者卡贾·穆罕默德·伊克巴尔。（海峡时报摄影：陈慧珊）
10月27日，李显龙部长在新加坡报业控股礼堂与该基金赞助的书籍作者卡贾·穆罕默德·伊克巴尔进行了交谈。
该基金于2011年李光耀先生的著作《我的终身挑战：新加坡的双语之旅》发布会上宣布设立。自那时起，该基金已投入近3500万美元，支持了近290个项目，涵盖工作坊、演出、出版物和多媒体资源等各个方面。
从 2024 年起，该项目扩大了对高等院校青年的宣传范围，与高等院校、内容创作者和社区组织合作，以增强他们使用母语的信心。