Jason Tan
National Institute of Education, Policy & Leadership Studies, Faculty Member
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Singapore’s education system has been under intense international scrutiny ever since its students’ spectacular results in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study were released in 1997. These results have been replicated in... more
Singapore’s education system has been under intense international scrutiny ever since its students’ spectacular results in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study were released in 1997. These results have been replicated in the subsequent international comparative studies of educational achievement, such as the most recent Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) study. At first glance, the system would appear, to the untrained eye, to have been extremely successful in terms of producing superior educational outcomes. This chapter discusses and analyzes the existence of gaps in the educational outcomes, along mainly social class and ethnic lines, as well as sustained government and community efforts to bridge these gaps. In addition, it highlights recurring tensions between elitist and egalitarian impulses in official policymaking. It will use a definition of the term achievement gap—disparities in educational outcomes between students of differing demographic characteristics such as ethnicity and socioeconomic status—which has been modified from the one used by Adekile (2012). To date, the scanty official data on the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects at the primary and secondary levels of schooling have been presented in terms of ethnicity. The data reveal that the ethnic Malay minority has persistently lagged behind the ethnic Chinese majority over the past decade, in terms of science achievement at the primary level and science and mathematics achievements at the secondary level. These gaps have persisted despite the existence of state-subsidized private tutoring schemes targeted at improving the ethnic Malay academic achievement.
This article focuses on the marketisation of education in Singapore since the mid-1980s. It describes and analyses two major manifestations of this phenomenon: the encouragement of greater school autonomy and the fostering of competition... more
This article focuses on the marketisation of education in Singapore since the mid-1980s. It describes and analyses two major manifestations of this phenomenon: the encouragement of greater school autonomy and the fostering of competition among schools. The article argues that the Singapore case does not involve a free market, but rather a regulated market. The promotion of such a quasi-market
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This book explores the role of education in the formation of the Singapore developmental state, through a study of education for citizenship in Singapore from 1955 to present day. The book provides a historical study of citizenship... more
This book explores the role of education in the formation of the Singapore developmental state, through a study of education for citizenship in Singapore from 1955 to present day. The book provides a historical study of citizenship education in Singapore, whereby a comparative study of history, civics and social studies curricula, and the politics and policies that underpin them are examined. The book demonstrates how the state maintained its hegemony and legitimacy through the culture of crisis management through education. It is essentially the history of how Singapore's developmental state managed crises (imagined, real or engineered), and how changes in history, civics and social studies curricula, served to legitimize the state, through educating and moulding the desired 'good citizen' in the interest of nation building. Underpinning these changes has been the state's use of cultural constructs such as Confucianism and Asian values to shore up its legitimacy.
Research Interests: Sociology, Asian Studies, Education, Southeast Asian Studies, History of Education, and 10 moreSingapore, Education for Citizenship, Multidisciplinary, Citizenship, Singapore History, Asia pacific education, Education Policies in Singapore, Routledge, Compare, and Comparative and international education
This paper examines the short-lived imposition by the Singaporean government of Religious Knowledge as a compulsory subject for upper secondary students. The move to introduce Religious Knowledge arose out of concern on the part of senior... more
This paper examines the short-lived imposition by the Singaporean government of Religious Knowledge as a compulsory subject for upper secondary students. The move to introduce Religious Knowledge arose out of concern on the part of senior cabinet members that the ...
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... Thirdly, Mendaki faced a shortage of quali®ed tutors for ... enter the `national mainstream' and highlighting of the community's pressing social problems reinforced the ...... more
... Thirdly, Mendaki faced a shortage of quali®ed tutors for ... enter the `national mainstream' and highlighting of the community's pressing social problems reinforced the ... economic advancement (Tham, 1989), and some avail themselves of Mendaki's various educational programmes ...
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... or creed, were encouraged, as was intermingling of students from various ethnic communities in school ... In a bid to ®nd a long-term solution to various problems faced by the Chinese ... Another key area that was addressed was the... more
... or creed, were encouraged, as was intermingling of students from various ethnic communities in school ... In a bid to ®nd a long-term solution to various problems faced by the Chinese ... Another key area that was addressed was the enduring problem of social cohesion among the ...
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Abstract This article traces the development since 1959 of various policies aimed at upgrading Malay educational achievement in order to close the socio-economic gap between the Malay and non-Malay communities in Singapore. It analyses... more
Abstract This article traces the development since 1959 of various policies aimed at upgrading Malay educational achievement in order to close the socio-economic gap between the Malay and non-Malay communities in Singapore. It analyses the various ...
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The primary objective of this focus issue of the Asia Pacific Journal of Education is to interrogate how East Asian states have explored the globalizing aspects of educational governance in order to meet the challenges brought about by... more
The primary objective of this focus issue of the Asia Pacific Journal of Education is to interrogate how East Asian states have explored the globalizing aspects of educational governance in order to meet the challenges brought about by the increasingly volatile nature of the global economy and the rise of transnational institutions as a challenge to state political legitimacy. Globalization in its political, economic, and cultural manifestations has far-reaching implications for education around the world. Not only are education systems being re-examined and reformed in a bid to bolster national economic competitiveness in the global economy, they are also being seen as crucial tools to address some of the adverse consequences of globalization, such as growing income disparities. Globalization has also meant an increasing cross-national labour mobility, with its attendant implications for national and cultural identity. Yet again, education systems have been scrutinized with a view to bolstering social cohesion and socializing young citizens. This issue will explore various facets of the role of the state in five polities – the Philippines, Singapore, the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong and Viet Nam – in the process of educational governance. The facets concern the need for education to take on an instrumental edge to produce the desirable citizenry that would fit into the existing social fabric of the society, to create a sense of belonging and identity to the polity, to establish a harmonious pluralistic society, and to create a desirable professional and elite workforce. Equally importantly, the role of the state extends to providing equitable access to education in a manner that is seen to be working efficiently. The first article by Jonathan London discusses the impact of economic globalization on the governance of education in Viet Nam. It highlights the impact of global economic turbulence on vocational and higher education reform and the politics of governance as it affects equity issues. The next article deals with a topic that is all too real – corruption. Vicente Reyes presents detailed accounts of two contrasting departments within the Philippines Department of Education. TheNational TextbookDevelopment Programme is riddledwith corruptionwhile the Programme on Basic Education has remained relatively corruption-free. Jason Tan focuses on the case of compulsory education legislation in Singapore. The Singapore case is interesting in that the state pushed for such legislation long after the attainment of universal schooling, and the major impact of this legislative reform is in fact to restrict enrolments in privately run madrasahs (Islamic religious schools) because of fears of the potentially adverse impact increasing enrolments in such schools might have on social cohesion.
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Purpose This paper aims to trace the evolution of two initiatives the direct subsidy scheme and independent schools initiative their genesis, rationale, current form and take-up rate. It also analyses them as education reforms in... more
Purpose This paper aims to trace the evolution of two initiatives the direct subsidy scheme and independent schools initiative their genesis, rationale, current form and take-up rate. It also analyses them as education reforms in terms of policymaking dynamics. The very ...
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... and Han, Christine and Chew, Joy (2001) Singapore: Values Education for a Knowledge-Based Economy. In: Values Education for Dynamic Societies: individualism or collectivism. Comparative Education Research Centre (CERC), The University... more
... and Han, Christine and Chew, Joy (2001) Singapore: Values Education for a Knowledge-Based Economy. In: Values Education for Dynamic Societies: individualism or collectivism. Comparative Education Research Centre (CERC), The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, pp ...
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Abstract This article traces the development since 1959 of various policies aimed at upgrading Malay educational achievement in order to close the socio-economic gap between the Malay and non-Malay communities in Singapore. It analyses... more
Abstract This article traces the development since 1959 of various policies aimed at upgrading Malay educational achievement in order to close the socio-economic gap between the Malay and non-Malay communities in Singapore. It analyses the various ...
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... Autonomous schools are supposed to pro-vide a high-quality education while charging more a ordable fees than ... operating autonomy, it is clear that the predetermined macro-goals of attaining higher school rankings exert a ... Quah,... more
... Autonomous schools are supposed to pro-vide a high-quality education while charging more a ordable fees than ... operating autonomy, it is clear that the predetermined macro-goals of attaining higher school rankings exert a ... Quah, MLM (1990) Special education in Singapore. ...
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... Thirdly, Mendaki faced a shortage of quali®ed tutors for ... enter the `national mainstream' and highlighting of the community's pressing social problems reinforced the ...... more
... Thirdly, Mendaki faced a shortage of quali®ed tutors for ... enter the `national mainstream' and highlighting of the community's pressing social problems reinforced the ... economic advancement (Tham, 1989), and some avail themselves of Mendaki's various educational programmes ...
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... or creed, were encouraged, as was intermingling of students from various ethnic communities in school ... In a bid to ®nd a long-term solution to various problems faced by the Chinese ... Another key area that was addressed was the... more
... or creed, were encouraged, as was intermingling of students from various ethnic communities in school ... In a bid to ®nd a long-term solution to various problems faced by the Chinese ... Another key area that was addressed was the enduring problem of social cohesion among the ...
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This article focuses on the marketisation of education in Singapore since the mid-1980s. It describes and analyses two major manifestations of this phenom-enon: the encouragement of greater school autonomy and the fostering of... more
This article focuses on the marketisation of education in Singapore since the mid-1980s. It describes and analyses two major manifestations of this phenom-enon: the encouragement of greater school autonomy and the fostering of competi-tion among schools. The article ...
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The independent schools scheme which was introduced in Singapore in 1987 represents a new phase in private schooling there. The government has relaxed its control of all schools and has allowed certain schools to turn independent. These... more
The independent schools scheme which was introduced in Singapore in 1987 represents a new phase in private schooling there. The government has relaxed its control of all schools and has allowed certain schools to turn independent. These schools enjoy autonomy in staff ...
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Globalization has effected tremendous change to the character and functions of education worldwide. This unique book focuses on its impact upon Hong Kong and Singapore, and how these two East Asian Tigers have responded to the strong... more
Globalization has effected tremendous change to the character and functions of education worldwide. This unique book focuses on its impact upon Hong Kong and Singapore, and how these two East Asian Tigers have responded to the strong global tide of marketization in ...
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This paper examines the short-lived imposition by the Singaporean government of Religious Knowledge as a compulsory subject for upper secondary students. The move to introduce Religious Knowledge arose out of concern on the part of senior... more
This paper examines the short-lived imposition by the Singaporean government of Religious Knowledge as a compulsory subject for upper secondary students. The move to introduce Religious Knowledge arose out of concern on the part of senior cabinet members that the ...
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The beginning of the twenty-first century is an exciting time for education in Singapore. There is constant talk of the need to reexamine old ways of thinking and doing things and of the concomitant need for flexibility, creativity and... more
The beginning of the twenty-first century is an exciting time for education in Singapore. There is constant talk of the need to reexamine old ways of thinking and doing things and of the concomitant need for flexibility, creativity and innovation. Although education policy has been a prime ...
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Dedication Foreword Introduction 1. Analytical Framework: Globalization and Educational Restructuring: Debates and Issues 2. Marketization and Higher Education in Hong Kong 3. Marketization and School Education in Hong Kong 4.... more
Dedication Foreword Introduction 1. Analytical Framework: Globalization and Educational Restructuring: Debates and Issues 2. Marketization and Higher Education in Hong Kong 3. Marketization and School Education in Hong Kong 4. Marketization and Higher Education in Singapore 5. Marketization and School Education in Singapore 6. A Comparative Study of Hong Kong and Singapore 7. Discussion and Conclusion References Index
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Singapore has drawn international attention as an example of a paternalistic, authoritarian state that has consistently maintained a highly interventionist stance in social and economic policies over the past six decades. This stance also... more
Singapore has drawn international attention as an example of a paternalistic, authoritarian state that has consistently maintained a highly interventionist stance in social and economic policies over the past six decades. This stance also extends to the governance of higher education (HE) (Tan in Shaping Singapore’s future: thinking schools, learning nation. Pearson Prentice Hall, Singapore, pp 82–94, 2004). This chapter will begin by setting out the nature of state governance in Singapore so that the reader will better understand the context of policy developments in HE. It will then analyse major government reforms over the past two decades allowing universities greater autonomy. It argues, however, that such reforms represent not a total relinquishing of the reins of control, but rather a decentralization and marketization under a “state supervision model” (Mok and Tan in Globalization and marketization in education: a comparative analysis of Hong Kong and Singapore. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, 2004). The case of the Singapore Institute of Management University (UNISIM) is offered as an interesting example of how a hitherto private institution can be incorporated into the state framework of publicly funded autonomous universities. The chapter also examines the unsuccessful top-down “global schoolhouse” policy initiative to illustrate the practical limits of the active state interventionist stance in education policymaking.
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Amid the recent economic turmoil in East and South east Asia, the Singapore government continues to press ahead with its plans to review the higher education system. The primary motivation for doing so is the maintenance of national... more
Amid the recent economic turmoil in East and South east Asia, the Singapore government continues to press ahead with its plans to review the higher education system. The primary motivation for doing so is the maintenance of national economic competitiveness in the global economy. These changes in higher education are being undertaken in tandem with reforms in the primary and secondary sectors of education.
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PurposeThis paper aims to trace the evolution of two initiatives – the direct subsidy scheme and independent schools initiative – their genesis, rationale, current form and take‐up rate. It also analyses them as education reforms in terms... more
PurposeThis paper aims to trace the evolution of two initiatives – the direct subsidy scheme and independent schools initiative – their genesis, rationale, current form and take‐up rate. It also analyses them as education reforms in terms of policymaking dynamics. The very notion of the term “privatization” will be examined.Design/methodology/approachThe article examines the two school privatization schemes in Hong Kong and Singapore, by putting into perspective a discussion of their policy implications, thereby reflecting on their similarities and differences in their agenda, implementation and implications.FindingsThe findings indicate that the DSS and independent school schemes in both Hong Kong and Singapore are in line with the global trends of privatization. It is suggested that the governments of the two places have adopted different approaches in the implementations of their schemes.Originality/valueThe paper shows how the direct subsidy scheme and independent schools initia...
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The Singapore Ministry of Education published the first edition of the Desired Outcomes of Education in late 1997. This document represented the first attempt systematically to list specific developmental outcomes for the various stages... more
The Singapore Ministry of Education published the first edition of the Desired Outcomes of Education in late 1997. This document represented the first attempt systematically to list specific developmental outcomes for the various stages of schooling. It also stated explicitly that these outcomes were meant to serve not only as a common guide for all education policies and programmes, but also as a basis for evaluating these policies and programmes. The document was subsequently revised in late 2009. The chapter critically analyses the aims of schooling embedded in the Desired Outcomes of Education within the social and historical context of schooling, in an attempt to reveal the ideologies and discourses that underpin the policy curriculum. It argues that the document represented the government’s attempt to gear schools to meet the economic, social and cultural challenges posed by globalisation. At the same time, the chapter poses critical questions such as whether the outcomes are really meant to be attained by every student, whether the various stakeholders in education truly desire these outcomes, and whether the various stakeholders are in fact equally well-placed to attain these outcomes.
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This chapter focuses on decentralization initiatives that have taken place in the Singapore education system over the past two decades. These include the encour-agement of greater school autonomy through the independent schools scheme,... more
This chapter focuses on decentralization initiatives that have taken place in the Singapore education system over the past two decades. These include the encour-agement of greater school autonomy through the independent schools scheme, the autonomous schools scheme, and school ...
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ABSTRACT Bibliogr. included