Article published in:
Developments in Diglossic Settings in the Asian Pacific RegionEdited by Marinus van den Berg
[Journal of Asian Pacific Communication 30:1/2] 2020
► pp. 90–114
Singapore bilingual education
One policy, many interpretations
Cher Leng Lee | National University of Singapore
Chiew Pheng Phua | National University of Singapore
Bilingualism has always been emphasized in Singapore’s education system. Since 1959, Singapore government leaders
have repeatedly stressed that bilingualism is the cornerstone of Singapore’s language policy. Scholars researching language policy
and planning in Singapore have also assumed that Singapore has always maintained a consistent stand on bilingualism. This paper
cites the case of Chinese language (Mandarin) education as evidence to show how “bilingual” education has undergone significant
changes in Singapore by tracing the historical changes and examining how bilingual education has evolved since its implementation. The findings show that the once-compulsory bilingual requirements gave way to differentiated ones in the history of
Singapore’s bilingual policy. This finding will help researchers have a better understanding of Singapore’s “bilingual education”
today and its position compared to other bilingual education systems in the world.
Keywords: Singapore, bilingualism, Mandarin, Chinese language, education
Published online: 30 June 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.00046.lee
https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.00046.lee
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