The bilingual policy shaped every academic year. English lessons emphasized critical thinking and global communication; mother tongue classes focused on grammar, literature, and cultural knowledge. High-stakes exams made balancing both difficult. As curriculum difficulty rose, time constraints forced choices: extra tuition for English, weekend classes for mother tongue, or sacrificing social time. The pressure highlighted socioeconomic gaps—families with resources could afford tutoring, while others struggled to keep pace.
: By 1986, the success of the policy was evident when the National Day Parade used English as a common language for the first time. The bilingual policy shaped every academic year
