Mother Tongue in Lieu

Mother Tongue in Lieu, aligned with what the school year needs.

Structured, MOE-aligned MTL classes that replace the standard school curriculum in French, German, Japanese, Thai, Arabic and more — taught by native speakers, in small groups, from primary through to the O-Levels.

See the MTL classes Contact MTL course advisor

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How MTL works

A pathway, not a stopgap.

Navigating the Ministry of Education language exemptions can be complex, but your child’s learning journey does not have to be. We teach the language, and we prepare primary and secondary students to meet the official proficiency benchmarks and sit their examinations with confidence.

Lingo is registered with the Ministry of Education under registration number 3552. Classes follow the MOE-recommended textbooks, with native-speaking teachers and small groups of no more than eight.

MOE-aligned

Built around the school curriculum it replaces.

Small groups

No more than eight students, taught by a native speaker.

Exam ready

Prepared for the Mother Tongue paper at 16.

Class schedule

MTL classes taking enrolments

Primary and secondary Mother Tongue in Lieu classes. Every class shows its term plan and the fee you pay today — enrol right here, one term at a time.

Full class schedule

Arabic MTL

BeginnerSat · 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Ben Maataller

S$583.156 of 6 seats left

Term 1 starts

09/01/2027

Your enrolment ends

20/03/2027

Sessions in Term 1

MTL term plan

Term 109/01/2027 – 20/03/202710 of 10 sessions

Term 227/03/2027 – 03/07/202710 of 10 sessions

Term 310/07/2027 – 11/09/202710 of 10 sessions

Term 418/09/2027 – 13/11/20279 of 10 sessions

Ten sessions a term on Sat, skipping public holidays and the 1 – 30 June break. Join before Term 1 starts and you pay for Term 1 only, ending 20/03/2027.

Fee includes textbook + 9% GST.

French MTL

BeginnerSat · 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Ben Maataller

S$583.156 of 6 seats left

Term 1 starts

09/01/2027

Your enrolment ends

20/03/2027

Sessions in Term 1

MTL term plan

Term 109/01/2027 – 20/03/202710 of 10 sessions

Term 227/03/2027 – 03/07/202710 of 10 sessions

Term 310/07/2027 – 11/09/202710 of 10 sessions

Term 418/09/2027 – 13/11/20279 of 10 sessions

Ten sessions a term on Sat, skipping public holidays and the 1 – 30 June break. Join before Term 1 starts and you pay for Term 1 only, ending 20/03/2027.

Fee includes textbook + 9% GST.

German MTL

BeginnerSat · 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Elena

S$583.156 of 6 seats left

Term 1 starts

09/01/2027

Your enrolment ends

20/03/2027

Sessions in Term 1

MTL term plan

Term 109/01/2027 – 20/03/202710 of 10 sessions

Term 227/03/2027 – 03/07/202710 of 10 sessions

Term 310/07/2027 – 11/09/202710 of 10 sessions

Term 418/09/2027 – 13/11/20279 of 10 sessions

Ten sessions a term on Sat, skipping public holidays and the 1 – 30 June break. Join before Term 1 starts and you pay for Term 1 only, ending 20/03/2027.

Fee includes textbook + 9% GST.

Japanese MTL

BeginnerSat · 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

S$583.156 of 6 seats left

Term 1 starts

09/01/2027

Your enrolment ends

20/03/2027

Sessions in Term 1

MTL term plan

Term 109/01/2027 – 20/03/202710 of 10 sessions

Term 227/03/2027 – 03/07/202710 of 10 sessions

Term 310/07/2027 – 11/09/202710 of 10 sessions

Term 418/09/2027 – 13/11/20279 of 10 sessions

Ten sessions a term on Sat, skipping public holidays and the 1 – 30 June break. Join before Term 1 starts and you pay for Term 1 only, ending 20/03/2027.

Fee includes textbook + 9% GST.

Thai MTL

BeginnerSat · 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Chadathip Prateep Na Thalang

S$528.658 of 8 seats left

Term 1 starts

09/01/2027

Your enrolment ends

20/03/2027

Sessions in Term 1

MTL term plan

Term 109/01/2027 – 20/03/202710 of 10 sessions

Term 227/03/2027 – 03/07/202710 of 10 sessions

Term 310/07/2027 – 11/09/202710 of 10 sessions

Term 418/09/2027 – 13/11/20279 of 10 sessions

Ten sessions a term on Sat, skipping public holidays and the 1 – 30 June break. Join before Term 1 starts and you pay for Term 1 only, ending 20/03/2027.

Fee includes textbook + 9% GST.

The timeline

What happens after the exemption

An exemption at the PSLE is the beginning of the requirement, not the end of it.

Ages 7–12

The interim years

With MTL exempted at the PSLE, there are no further major examinations until the age of 16 — the early years build the foundation without exam pressure.

Secondary One

Starts at A1

Students begin the secondary MTL course at CEFR A1, the beginner level, at the start of Secondary One.

Four years

B2 by the O-Levels

The four years to the O-Level Mother Tongue examination take a student from A1 to B2, the level the paper expects.

Questions

Before you enrol

Tell us the language, the school level and the exams ahead, and we will place your child in the right group.

My child has been exempted from MTL — what is next?: An exemption at the PSLE is not the end of the requirement: students still sit a Mother Tongue examination at 16. Our MTL course takes them from A1 in Secondary One to the B2 level the O-Level paper requires.
Which textbook does Lingo use?: Textbooks follow the Ministry of Education recommendations. Ask us for the book list for your child’s language and level.

Start with a hello

Find your starting point.

Take a language placement assessment: we check your current level and recommend the programme and path that will move you fastest.

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