Mother Tongue Language (MTL) Matters
Find out if your child qualifies for Higher Mother Tongue Language, MTL exemption, or an Asian/Foreign Language in lieu of MTL at Junyuan Secondary School.
Eligibility Criteria for HMTL at S1
From 2026 S1 onwards, eligible students may offer HMTL instead of MTL should they meet the following criteria.
* PSLE MTL score of AL1/AL2; or
* HMTL score of Distinction/Merit
These are the designated HMTL centres nearest to Junyuan Secondary.
Higher Tamil Language Centre : Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School (Lesson every Monday 3:00- 6:00pm)
Higher Malay Language Centre : Tanjong Katong Secondary School (Lesson every Tuesday 2.40-5.40 pm)
Junyuan Secondary School will be offering Higher Chinese Language for Sec 1 in 2026.
Application to be exempted from taking MTL
MTL exemption may only be considered if the student:
(a) has been away from Singapore school system for some years or joins our school system mid-stream without prior learning of our official MTL or MTL-in-lieu
(b) has certified Special Educational Needs (SEN) and shows severe difficulty in coping with their overall learning
Students who are already exempted from taking MTL at primary school level will continue the exemption. There is no need to re-apply the exemption at Sec One. Students will remain in class to do self-study during MT lessons.
Taking Asian/Foreign Language as MTL-in-lieu (not as Third Language)
For students taking Asian/Foreign languages in lieu of MTL at primary school, he / she has to continue taking Asian/Foreign languages at Sec One. There is no need to submit a re-application for Sec One students who have obtained approval at the primary school level to offer Asian/Foreign Language. Students are required to continue to learn the language privately and ensure that the private education provider can prepare the students for the SEC examinations.