Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
National University Singapore
PP5229 Education Policy in Singapore: Comparative Perspective
1st Semester 2014
Instructor: S Gopinathan
Email: s_gopinathan@ymail.com
Module Rationale
Education is a significant area of public policy, and one in which Singapore has a high reputation. The transformation of Singapore education, from a segregated and divisive colonial system to one which has high legitimacy, is well resourced and where student achievement is world class offers many lessons for other countries. Internationally, there is much interest in capacity building in and through education to meet more demanding societal expectations within a globalising context. Education reform, access and equity issues, relevance of schooling models for economic modernization and social cohesion, employability concerns, among others, are on the top of the policy agenda in many countries.
Module Description
‘
Education Policy in Singapore: Comparative Perspectives’ is designed to cover key areas in education policy and processes in Singapore and East Asia. The primary focus will be on policy responses to education challenges in Singapore since 1956. Where feasible, comparisons and contrasts will be drawn with similar issues and responses in East Asian countries.
Topics covered include: language-in-education policies; policies for building a skilled labour force; meritocracy and equity issues; education and social cohesion; higher education; policies for meeting globalization/ knowledge economy challenges and policy development; implementation and evaluation issues.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of the module, students would have a deeper understanding of the ways in which context, history, stage of socio-economic development, relative power of stakeholders, etc. impact on the crafting of and implementation of education policies in general, and in Singapore in particular. They would be able to analyse education policy using current theoretical models, identify strengths and weaknesses of current policies in their countries, and suggest possible alternatives to current policies.