Although "de jure" Malay is the national language, Singapore English is regarded "de facto" as the main language in Singapore, and is officially the main language of instruction in all school subjects except for Mother Tongue lessons in Singapore's education system. It is also the common language of the administration, and is promoted as an important language for international business. Spelling in Singapore largely follows British conventions, owing to the country's status as a former Crown Colony. English is the country's default "lingua franca" despite the fact that four languages have official status.