Singapore does not have a national sign language. The language of instruction in schools is Signed Exact English, not a sign language. A Shanghainese couple founded the first school for the deaf in 1954, where Shanghainese Sign Language (southern Chinese Sign Language) was used as the language of instruction. However, the school ceased operation in the 1960s. It is not clear to which extent Singapore sign language is indigenous, Chinese Sign or derived from Chinese Sign, or derived from the ASL signs of Signed Exact English.