Singapore's Education System, Myth and Reality

Does Singapore have a world-class education system? Its top rankings in the PISA and TIMSS student achievement tests certainly suggest so. Such results and much foreign praise have given Singapore a global reputation for education excellence. Many in the education field believe Singapore provides an education model for the world. Others would disagree. Singapore’s Education System, Myth and Reality probes the city-state’s claims to educational excellence. It questions the accuracy of the PISA and TIMSS tests and considers how well Singapore’s elitist pressure-cooker education system serves the national interest. How well does this system advance the country’s founding principles of meritocracy and equality of opportunity? The book also compares the scholastic performance of Singapore and Finland, another high-regarded education super-star. It shows how both countries are pawns in a global contest between the corporate-driven education reform movement and those who oppose it. The book concludes by assessing Singapore’s Boston-of-the-East ambitions and its strategy to become a world education hub by attracting foreign universities, academics and students. Questions of academic freedom are considered. The controversial decision by Yale to establish a college with the National University of Singapore is also discussed. Read more