English in Singapore in 2018 saw a change in public-language leadership. Jason Leow became chairman of the Speak Good English Movement in July 2018 and used his 11 October speech to encourage discussion rather than simply police mistakes.
The same October event recognised nine Inspiring Teacher of English Award recipients, including five teaching and four leadership awardees. The official press release documents their work with English Language, Literature and General Paper.
English in Singapore, 2018 examines a new framing of Standard English, Singlish and language learning alongside verified teacher examples. All classroom exercises are contemporary illustrations, not reconstructed 2018 lessons.
SINGAPORE ENGLISH TUITION CENTRE · ANNUAL HISTORY · 2018
Choose your reading route
July 2018: new leadership, not a new movement · 11 October: the first chairman’s address · Standard English, Singlish and incomplete command are different questions · A second event occurred on 11 October · A Reading Circle at St Joseph’s Institution · A primary teacher’s belief that every child can learn · Reading a teacher profile responsibly · How 2018 leads into the following campaign
Contents
1. July 2018: new leadership, not a new movement · 2. 11 October: the first chairman’s address · 3. His idea was discussion, not language policing · 4. Multilingual Singapore was central to his argument · 5. Standard English, Singlish and incomplete command are different questions · 6. The phrase #EnglishinSG was a conversation starter · 7. A second event occurred on 11 October · 8. Nine teachers received awards · 9. Nominations came from several communities · 10. A Reading Circle at St Joseph’s Institution · 11. Technology and teaching at Yu Neng Primary · 12. Literature leadership at Temasek Junior College · 13. A primary teacher’s belief that every child can learn · 14. A secondary teacher values the right learning environment · 15. Teacher development and applied linguistics · 16. A speech can be honest about difficulty without measuring it · 17. A formal register is another useful tool · 18. Reading a teacher profile responsibly · 19. Vocabulary for the 2018 institutional record · 20. How 2018 leads into the following campaign
1. July 2018: new leadership, not a new movement
Jason Leow wrote in a first-person account published in July 2019 that he was appointed chairman of the Speak Good English Movement in July 2018, together with a new committee. The later article is retrospective evidence about a 2018 appointment, not an event that happened in 2019.
The organisation had existed since 2000. New leadership mattered because it offered an opportunity to review how the movement spoke to Singaporeans, but it did not immediately change the official school English syllabus or erase the movement’s earlier campaigns.
The distinction is useful whenever readers encounter a contemporary profile. Identify when a person was appointed, when they described the appointment and what they actually did after taking office. A biography and an appointment record can describe related but different dates.
2. 11 October: the first chairman’s address
In the 11 October 2018 award ceremony speech, Leow introduced himself as chairman and used the hashtag #EnglishinSG. The venue was the National Library in Singapore, and the occasion was the Inspiring Teacher of English Award ceremony.
His opening framed Singaporean English as an issue relevant to identity, opportunity and everyday communication. Instead of approaching the audience only with grammar corrections, he invited consideration of the place English held among Singapore’s other spoken languages and dialects.
A speech captures what its speaker proposed and believed. It cannot by itself establish whether the public’s attitudes changed, how many people followed the hashtag or whether the movement’s future initiatives succeeded.
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3. His idea was discussion, not language policing
The chairman’s speech explicitly rejected presenting the movement primarily as an organisation that would police everyday language. Leow said teachers already had substantial responsibility for instruction and that his public role was to stimulate discussion of English’s value.
This was a positioning statement, not the repeal of all guidance about Standard English. Formal conventions remained relevant to education and workplace writing; the new framing argued that a public campaign could encourage participation without reducing people to their mistakes.
For a learner, the practical difference is between humiliating correction and useful feedback. If a sentence is unclear, identify the source of misunderstanding, explain a better form and check whether the learner can use it independently.
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4. Multilingual Singapore was central to his argument
Leow described Singapore’s language environment as one in which people use English alongside mother tongues, other languages and dialects. His October speech noted that many speakers expend effort moving among these systems.
A child may hear one language at home and learn to read another in school. An adult may use a colloquial variety with friends, technical Standard English at work and a different language with relatives. The challenges of switching are not captured by a simple label such as good or bad English.
A fair educational approach values multilingual experience while teaching the specific conventions necessary for important tasks. It does not assume that unfamiliar accents reveal intelligence or that every child starts with the same English exposure.
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5. Standard English, Singlish and incomplete command are different questions
The chairman’s remarks distinguished Standard English, Singlish and what he called broken English. His framing continued a debate made explicit at the movement’s 2017 symposium.
Standard English is a set of conventional forms expected in many formal and international situations. Singlish is a locally meaningful colloquial variety. Incomplete command of a desired formal register is a learning issue; it should be addressed with explanation and practice rather than treated as a person’s permanent identity.
A speaker who shifts deliberately between varieties may have more options than someone who knows only one. But not all speakers can shift easily. Helping a learner acquire another register can be empowering without denying the social value of local speech.
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6. The phrase #EnglishinSG was a conversation starter
The chairman used #EnglishinSG to frame a discussion about how English belongs within a multilingual national identity. The hashtag was not a new subject code, examination or formal grammar definition.
A short tag can make public discussion more discoverable across digital platforms, but it rarely captures the nuance of a full argument. People who use the same tag may express opposing opinions about what should be taught and where different language varieties are appropriate.
Readers should separate the existence of a communication device from its educational effect. A hashtag may draw attention; proving learning would require evidence that participants gained more accurate or effective language use.
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7. A second event occurred on 11 October
The 2018 award press release records the Inspiring Teacher of English Award ceremony on 11 October 2018. Indranee Rajah presented awards at the National Library. The date is shared with the chairman’s address because the speech was delivered at that ceremony.
The award recognised educators working with English Language, Literature and General Paper. It celebrated approaches to teaching and leadership, not a new national curriculum announced at the ceremony.
Two documents from one event can answer different questions. The chairman’s speech explains a public-language message, while the award release identifies recipients, categories and selection information. Combining the sources is useful only when their distinct purposes remain clear.
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8. Nine teachers received awards
According to the official media release, nine educators received awards: five teaching recipients and four leadership recipients. Each received a trophy, certificate and a cash award. More than one hundred teachers had been nominated.
The categories highlight different types of work. A teaching recipient may demonstrate purposeful classroom instruction, while a leadership recipient may organise a wider school programme or help colleagues develop instructional skills.
A selected award group is not a representative sample of all schools. The programme shows what the organisers recognised as valuable, not a claim that every teacher used identical approaches or that recipients alone contributed to English education.
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9. Nominations came from several communities
The press release describes nominations from students, parents and teaching peers. That variety shows why the award was intended to recognise both classroom effects and the relationships educators develop with those around them.
A nomination may include a grateful pupil’s account of greater confidence, a colleague’s observation of thoughtful lesson design or a school leader’s view of a literacy programme. Each is valuable testimony about experience, but not a controlled measurement of examination outcomes.
Readers should ask which claim a testimonial can justify. It may support that a teacher was appreciated or that a practice was used; a causal claim about achievement requires additional evidence.
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10. A Reading Circle at St Joseph’s Institution
The 2018 announcement describes teaching recipient Mishaelle Chua at St Joseph’s Institution and a Reading Circle Programme she championed. The initiative aimed to make books engaging and build sustained interest in reading.
A reading circle can give students a purpose for finishing a text, returning to difficult ideas and hearing another interpretation. However, a group’s enjoyment does not automatically mean that every member developed the same level of literary understanding.
A modern reading-circle activity asks each student to support one interpretation with evidence from the text, then respond fairly to a competing reading. This is an original suggestion, not a claim about the exact tasks used by Chua’s group.
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11. Technology and teaching at Yu Neng Primary
The release identifies Yok Joon Meng of Yu Neng Primary School as a leadership recipient who encouraged meaningful use of information technology to engage students in English.
Technology can display a shared text, allow students to revise drafts or present feedback quickly. The educational value depends on whether it serves a defined learning objective. A device is not automatically a stronger teacher merely because it is new.
A present-day class might compare an initial written explanation with a revision after targeted feedback. The improvement is evidenced by the language in the two drafts, not by the number of clicks on an application.
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12. Literature leadership at Temasek Junior College
The same official record describes Erin Elizabeth Woodford at Temasek Junior College as a leadership award recipient who created opportunities for creative writing and made Literature more relevant to students.
Literature asks readers to interpret characters, imagery and competing motives. Effective teaching helps students enjoy the text while explaining why a particular reading is reasonable. Several interpretations may be possible, but they need support from the work.
Students can practise by revising an ungrounded response such as ‘the character is selfish’ into one that cites a relevant action and considers a counterexample. The method supports thoughtful reasoning rather than memorised judgement.
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13. A primary teacher’s belief that every child can learn
Among the 2018 recipient profiles, Hing Mui Hong of Keming Primary School explained the importance of designing purposeful lessons suited to pupils’ interests and needs.
This approach recognises that pupils may struggle for different reasons. One may be uncertain about sounds and letters, another about understanding a pronoun, and another about organising an extended response. Identical worksheets will not necessarily repair all three problems.
A careful diagnosis of the learner’s actual attempt can guide the next example and practice task. The profile supplies the teacher’s professional perspective; the diagnostic procedure here is a modern illustration of what such attention can mean.
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14. A secondary teacher values the right learning environment
The 2018 award page includes Ratish Balakrishnan of Evergreen Secondary School. His reflection emphasised respect, opportunities to make decisions and a setting in which students felt able to ask questions.
Questioning matters in language learning because a pupil may be able to repeat an answer without understanding it. When students are comfortable asking which phrase supports a conclusion, a lesson can reveal misunderstanding rather than conceal it beneath silence.
Supportive classrooms still need accurate instruction and high expectations. Respect and rigour are not alternatives. Their relationship is one reason teaching awards often describe how students were encouraged to participate and improve.
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15. Teacher development and applied linguistics
The award release notes that nominated teachers received access to Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics membership benefits, including professional talks and information about research.
Applied linguistics examines language as it is learnt and used. Professional reading can help teachers question whether an exercise works, how learners respond to feedback and which evidence actually supports a teaching claim.
An award does not end a teacher’s learning. Good professional practice includes revising explanations, studying unfamiliar approaches and considering the limitations of a result from one class. That is relevant to Singapore’s long-term investment in English teaching expertise.
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16. A speech can be honest about difficulty without measuring it
Leow spoke publicly about language learning and later described his own childhood English challenges in a 2019 first-person article. His recollections are evidence about his stated experience and perspective, not a survey of every Singaporean child’s home language.
The account can help readers understand why a public chairman might prefer encouragement over ridicule. It cannot establish that one exact teaching method would work for all children or that every multilingual household follows the same path.
For student writers, this is a lesson in attribution. Use ‘Leow recalled’ for a personal history and ‘the award release reported’ for the institutional facts. The verbs preserve evidence boundaries.
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17. A formal register is another useful tool
Consider an invented message to a close friend: ‘Meet you there after work, can?’ The speaker and listener may share enough context to understand it. The same message to a new supplier could be confusing because the place and time remain unspecified.
A clearer professional version might state the exact venue, time and requested confirmation. The change is not about making the speaker sound foreign. It adds the information necessary for the audience.
This exercise demonstrates the difference between locally shared informal speech and a wider standard register. It is a modern illustration of the year’s public debate, not a historical quotation.
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18. Reading a teacher profile responsibly
Award profiles usually highlight successful or creative work. They are useful examples of pedagogical aims, but their selection process and editorial purpose shape what readers see.
An individual description may report that pupils enjoyed a class or participated confidently. That does not reveal a comparison with every other method, nor prove the same outcomes would arise in all schools.
Ask three questions: What did the teacher actually describe? Which learning outcome is shown? What remains an aspiration or interpretation? Students who practise this discipline become better readers of educational news as well as stronger nonfiction writers.
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19. Vocabulary for the 2018 institutional record
Chairman identifies a leadership role; committee is a group assigned responsibilities; nomination is a proposal for recognition; recipient is someone who receives an award; professional development refers to continuing learning in a profession.
Code-switching describes shifting linguistic codes or varieties in context; register refers to language suited to an audience and purpose. Proficiency should not be confused with accent or social status.
Write a precise historical summary using three terms: ‘A new chairman addressed teachers at the 2018 award ceremony and encouraged discussion about language varieties.’
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20. How 2018 leads into the following campaign
The preceding 2017 chapter centred on a symposium considering language in the home, work and identity. In 2018 Leow took over as chairman and spoke about a public conversation more open to the realities of multilingual Singapore.
In 2019 the movement’s Let’s Connect messaging would make international intelligibility and conversational engagement more visible. That later public campaign should not be backdated to the 2018 teacher-award speech.
The lasting lesson is that expanding someone’s command of Standard English can be treated as adding a useful skill, not passing a judgement on the person’s cultural identity. Good historical writing also requires distinguishing documented leadership, professional recognition and measured language outcomes.
Frequently asked questions
When was Jason Leow appointed chairman?
He later stated he was appointed in July 2018.
When did he give his first major chairman’s speech?
11 October 2018, at the Inspiring Teacher of English Award ceremony at the National Library.
What did #EnglishinSG mean?
A public invitation to discuss the value and place of English in multilingual Singapore.
Did the new chairman say grammar no longer mattered?
No. He distinguished useful Standard English from language policing and urged a more constructive conversation.
How many teachers were awarded in 2018?
Nine: five teaching recipients and four leadership recipients.
Who presented the awards?
Indranee Rajah, according to the official award release.
What school did Mishaelle Chua teach in?
St Joseph’s Institution, where she championed a Reading Circle Programme.
Why were the awardees relevant to language history?
Their profiles documented different strategies for teaching and leading English, Literature and General Paper programmes.
Did the awards show the results for every Singapore school?
No. Selected professional profiles are useful examples, not representative national outcome data.
What can a learner practise?
Audience-aware register choices, evidence-supported literary interpretation and focused grammar feedback.
Sources and further reading
Jason Leow’s 11 October 2018 chairman’s speech — Primary dated speech explaining new leadership, code-switching and the #EnglishinSG conversation
11 October 2018 Inspiring Teacher of English Award media release — Nine recipients, five teaching awards, four leadership awards, more than 100 nominees
Official 2018 award recipient profiles — Individual teaching approaches across primary, secondary and pre-university education
Jason Leow’s retrospective first-person commentary, 21 July 2019 — Later first-person confirmation of his July 2018 appointment and personal learning experience
The Straits Times, 11 October 2018 award coverage — Contemporary independent report on the ceremony and named recipients
Official SGEM press room — Year-organised campaign and teacher-award archive
National Heritage Board, language campaign history — Confirms the original 2000 movement and avoids confusing 2018 leadership with founding
Previous year: 2017 · History of English in Singapore, year by year · Continue to 2019 via the timeline