Singapore's Center for Domestic Employees (CDE) is set to launch Chinese dialect courses, including Hokkien and Cantonese, next year. Minister of State for Education and Manpower Gan Siow Huang announced the initiative on Sunday, as reported by local media.
The program aims to enhance communication between migrant domestic workers and their employers, Gan explained during her speech at an event commemorating International Migrants Day.
Beyond language lessons, the CDE, a non-governmental organization under the National Trades Union Congress, will collaborate with the Healthcare Academy to provide advanced caregiving training. These courses will cover areas such as dementia care and infant care.
According to Singapore's 2021 population census, 8.7 percent of residents aged five and older primarily speak Chinese dialects at home. Among residents aged 55 and above, 21.9 percent use Chinese dialects as their main language at home, with 33 percent of this group not speaking a second language.
\"The introduction of dialect lessons … will foster trust and long-lasting relationships,\" Gan stated in her address.
In addition to language education, the CDE will support migrant workers by offering free counseling services and mental health workshops in partnership with Silver Ribbon (Singapore), a non-profit organization dedicated to combating mental health stigma and promoting early intervention. Employers will also have access to free workshops to better support their domestic workers.
As of June 2024, there are over 294,900 migrant domestic workers in Singapore, representing 19 percent of the city-state's total foreign workforce, according to the Ministry of Manpower.
Reference(s):
Singapore to offer Chinese dialect classes for migrant workers
cgtn.com
