MOE would like to remind everyone that the novel containing vulgarities that was chosen by a school as a literary text was NOT part of the recommended text list from the Ministry of Education (MOE) but selected by a school for its "literary merit" - the ministry announced on 9 Dec 2019.
The book was selected to complement the school's English Language lessons
On 7 Dec 2019 - Saturday, a Facebook group called Singaporeans Defending Marriage and Family criticised the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, which contains several swear words. It said the book uses "foul and blasphemous language" and claimed it "breaks Singapore's racial and religious harmony laws". The post, which did not identify the school, continued: “Do parents need to inspect every single (school's) material and sit inside every classroom to ensure our children are free from unacceptable immoral indoctrination and corruption?”
The book, written by British author Mark Haddon, features a 15-year-old protagonist with Asperger's syndrome. It was selected by the school for its extended reading programme to complement its English Language lessons, said Mr Jeffrey Low, director of English Language and Literature at MOE.
The book, written by British author Mark Haddon, features a 15-year-old protagonist with Asperger's syndrome. It was selected by the school for its extended reading programme to complement its English Language lessons, said Mr Jeffrey Low, director of English Language and Literature at MOE.
Photo of the text in the book from the facebook page of "Singaporeans Defending Marriage & Family"
MOE also provides a set of criteria for selecting texts outside of the recommended list. "This set of criteria includes the literary value, appropriateness and accessibility of the text in terms of themes and language for the target age-group of the students, the values the text promotes, and careful consideration of any areas of concern, such as social and cultural sensitivities," Mr Low explained.
In 2015, the book made headlines after it was withdrawn from a Florida school's summer reading list following concerns from parents about swearing. In response, Mr Haddon told The Guardian his book was “not just a novel that contains swearing but a novel about swearing”. He also noted that the main character Christopher is “completely unaware of the offence that swearing is intended to cause and therefore it simply washes over him”.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book and was named 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year. It also took home the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize that year.
In 2015, the book made headlines after it was withdrawn from a Florida school's summer reading list following concerns from parents about swearing. In response, Mr Haddon told The Guardian his book was “not just a novel that contains swearing but a novel about swearing”. He also noted that the main character Christopher is “completely unaware of the offence that swearing is intended to cause and therefore it simply washes over him”.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book and was named 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year. It also took home the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize that year.
CNA online article: "Book containing vulgarities not on MOE's recommended list, chosen by school"
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