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PP5229 

EDUCATION POLICY IN SINGAPORE: COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES
   2014/2015, Semester 1
   Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (Lee Kuan Yew School Of Public Policy)
Modular Credits: 4
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Syllabus

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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.
 
 
 
 
 

(PP 5229) Education Policy in Singapore: Comparative Perspectives
­Course Schedule
21st August
  • Introduction to module
  • Education Policy Issues and Trends: A General Overview
28th August
  • Education Policy Issues: Asian Education Snapshots
4th September
  • Education Policy: National and Global Imperatives (Prof. M. W. Hassan)
11th September
  • Education Policy in Singapore: Historical Perspectives
  • E-Learning Week
18th September
  • Education Policy in Singapore: Coping with Globalization.
25th September
  • Term Break (22nd – 26th  September)
2nd October
  • The Social Cohesion Imperative: Policies to build ‘a united society, regardless of race, language and religion’ .
(Prof. Hassan/ Gopinathan)
 
  • Term Paper 1
9th October
  • Singapore’s Language-in-Education Policies
16th October
  • The Economic Competition Imperative: Policies for Enhancing Human Capital.
23rd October
  • Meritocratic and Egalitarian Impulses in Singapore Education.
30th October
  • Trends and Issues in Post-secondary Education
6th November
  • Summing Up: Education Policy Development, Implementation and Evaluation
13th November
  • Term Paper 2
20th November
  • Review

 
CA components:
 
 
  1. Class Participation
20%
 
  1. Group Presentation
 
 
  1. Essays: (2)
80%
 
  1. Others (e.g. fieldwork, projects)
 
 
Total for CA:
 
100%
 
Total for Final Examination:
 
 
 
Total Assessment:
 
100%
 
  • Each student is required to submit 2 essays. Topics for the essays should be approved by the instructor. An abstract of the topic is required. The first essay should not exceed 3000 words and the second 5000 words. The first essay is due on the 2nd of October and the second on the 13th of November.
 
  • At a later stage I will put up the rubrics for the marking of the essays.
 
Reading List
 
  • I have deliberately put up a longish reading list. You are, of course, not expected to read all, but you are encouraged to read widely. If you are interested in a particular country or issue, I will be happy to provide more references.
 
Guest Speaker
 
  • I plan to invite between 2 – 3 guest speakers during the second part of the course. Details will be provided later.

 
Education Policy in Singapore: Comparative Perspectives
Key Texts
 
S. Gopinathan (2012)
 
 
Education and the Nation State. London: Routledge.
 
 
Tan J. (ed.) (2012)
 
 
Education in Singapore: Taking Stock, Looking Forward. Singapore: Pearson.
 
 
K. H. Mok (2006)
 
Education Reform and Education Policy in East Asia. Oxon: Routledge.
 
 
Lorraine Pe Symaco (ed.) (2013)
 
Education in Southeast Asia. Oxford: Symposium Books.
 
 
C. Brock and L. Symaco (eds.) (2011)
 
 
Education in Southeast Asia. Oxford: Symposium Books.
 
 
P. Morris and A. Sweeting (1995)
 
 
Education and Development in East Asia.
London: Garland Publishing.
 
 
Lee Sing Kong, Goh Chor Boon
B. Frediksen and Tan J. P (eds.) (2008)
 
 
Toward a Better Future: Education and Training for Economic Development in Singapore since 1965. Washington: World Bank NIE.
 
Supplementary Texts
 
 
Lai Ah Eng (ed.) (2004)
 
 
 
Beyond Rituals and Riots: Ethnic Pluralism and Social Cohesion in Singapore.
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish.
 
 
Green A. (1997)
 
 
Education, Globalisation and the Nation State. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
 
 
Lee Hock Guan and Leo Suryadinata (eds.) (2007)
 
 
Language, Nation and Development in Southeast Asia. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
 
 
Michael Barr and Zlatco Skrbis (2008)
 
 
Constructing Singapore: Elitism, Ethnicity and the Nation Building Project. Copenhagen: NIAS Press
 
 
Mickey Chiang (1998)
 
 
From Economic Debacle to Economic Miracle: The History and Development of Technical Education in Singapore. Singapore: Times Editions.
 
 
V. Vaish, S. Gopinathan and L. Yongbing (eds.) (2007)
 
 
Language, Capital and Culture: Critical Studies of Language in Education in Singapore. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
 
 
K.L. Ho (2003)
 
 
Shared Responsibilities; Unshared Power: The Politics of Policy Making. Singapore: Eastern Universities Press.
   
 
M. Mourshed, C. Chijoke and M. Barber (2010)
 
 
How the World’s Most Improved School Systems Keep Getting Better. US: McKinsey & Company.
 
M. Mourshed, D. Farrell and D. Barton (2012)
 
 
Education to Employment: Designing a System That Works. US: McKinsey & Company.
 
 
McKinsey & Company (2007)
 
 
How the World’s Best Performing School Systems Come Out On Top. US: McKinsey & Company.
 
 
T. Kang (2005)
 
 
Creating Educational Dreams: The Intersection of Ethnicity, Families and Schools. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Academic.
 
 
L. Z. Rahim (1998)
 
 
The Singapore Dilemma: The Political and Educational Marginality of the Malay Community.
KL: Oxford University Press.
 
 

Workload

Top2-1-0-3-4

Workload Components : A-B-C-D-E
A: no. of lecture hours per week
B: no. of tutorial hours per week
C: no. of lab hours per week
D: no. of hours for projects, assignments, fieldwork etc per week
E: no. of hours for preparatory work by a student per week

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