During the parliament session yesterday, PAP MP Darryl David recommended that foreigners who want to become Singapore citizens must have a basic level of English proficiency and must serve a mandatory community service.
He made these recommendations because he found that many new citizens could not express themselves or communicate with others because they cannot speak English.
“At a community event welcoming new citizens last year, I observed that there were quite a few new citizens who had trouble communicating because of their inability to speak basic English. Grassroots leaders have also provided feedback: Some of the new citizens tend to not get involved in community events and activities because they feel that they aren’t able to communicate with their fellow residents of different ethnicities.”
The MP said that by imposing such requirements, new citizens can better understand our local culture, integrate better with Singaporeans, and contribute to our society.
What do you think? Is this high time that basic English proficiency be a mandatory requirement for citizenship since even Singaporeans who want to go to tertiary educations like polytechnics and universities need to pass English, what more citizens?
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