Article published in:
Developments in Diglossic Settings in the Asian Pacific Region
Edited by Marinus van den Berg
[Journal of Asian Pacific Communication 30:1/2] 2020
► pp. 90–114

Singapore bilingual education

One policy, many interpretations

| National University of Singapore
| 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
References

References

Baker, C., & Wright, W. E.
(2017) Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd.Google Scholar
Barr, M. D., & Skrbis, Z.
(2008) Constructing Singapore: Elitism, ethnicity and the Nation Building Project. Copenhagen: NIAS Press.Google Scholar
Bokhorst-Heng, W.
(1999) Singapore’s Speak Mandarin Campaign: Language ideological debates and the imagining of the nation. In J. Blommaert (Ed.), Language Ideological Debates (pp. 235–266). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Cavallaro, F., & Ng, B. C.
(2014) Language in Singapore: From multilingualism to English plus. In J. Hajek & Y. Slaughter (Eds.), Challenging the monolingual mindset (pp. 33–48). Bristol: Multilingual Matters. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Chew, E., & Kwa, C. G.
(2012) Goh Keng Swee: a legacy of public service. Imprint Singapore; Hackensack, N.J.: World Scientific. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Chew, P. G. L.
(2013) A sociolinguistic history of early identities in Singapore: from colonialism to nationalism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Chinese Language Teaching & learning in Singapore
(1992) Report of the Chinese Language Review Committee chaired by Mr Ong Teng Cheong, Second Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore.Google Scholar
Chua, B. H.
(2017) Liberalism disavowed: Communitarianism and state capitalism in Singapore. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Chua, S. C.
(1964) Report on the census of population 1957. State of Singapore.Google Scholar
COP
(1957) Census of Population. See Chua 1964.Google Scholar
(2010) Census of Population. Department of Statistics, Republic of Singapore.Google Scholar
Cummins, J.
(2000) Language, power and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire. Language Policy, 1(2), 193–195.Google Scholar
Hansard, Official Reports – Parliamentary Debates
: 10 July 1968 14 May 1968 18 Feb 1981 26 Nov 2004 18 May 2010.Google Scholar
Kuo, E. C. Y.
(1980) The sociolinguistic situation in Singapore: unity in diversity. In E. A. Affendras and E. C. Y. Kuo (Eds.), Language and Society in Singapore (pp. 39–62). Singapore: Singapore University Press.Google Scholar
Lee, K. Y.
(2012) My lifelong challenge: Singapore’s bilingual journey. Singapore: Straits Times Press.Google Scholar
Lee, C. L.
(2012) Saving Chinese Language-Education in Singapore. Current Issues in Language Planning 13(4), 285–304. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Lin, A., & Man, Y. F. E.
(2009) Bilingual education: Southeast Asian perspectives. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Newman, J.
(1988) Singapore’s Speak Mandarin Campaign. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. 9 (5): 437–448. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
[ p. 113 ]
Pakir, A.
(1991) The range and depth of English-knowing bilinguals in Singapore. World Englishes, 10 (2), 167–179. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Platt, J.
(1980) Multilingualism, polyglossia, and code selection in Singapore. In E. A. Afendras & E. C. Y. Kuo (Eds.), Language and Society in Singapore (pp. 63-86), Singapore. Singapore University Press.Google Scholar
Quentin, D.
(2005) Bilingual education policy in Singapore: An analysis of its sociohistorical roots and current academic outcomes. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 8 (1), 25–47. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(2009) Assumptions behind Singapore’s language-in-education policy: implications for language planning and second language acquisition. Language Policy, 8: 117–137. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Ritu, J. & Wee
(2019) Language education policy in Singapore. In Kirkpatrick, A. & A. J. Liddicoat (Eds.), The Routledge International Handbook of Language Education Policy in Asia (pp. 272–285). London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.Google Scholar
Silver, R. E.
(2005) The discourse of linguistic capital: Language and economic policy planning in Singapore. Language Policy, 4 (1), 47–66. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Singapore Monitor
22 Dec 1983, p. 2.Google Scholar
Soon, T. W.
(1988) Singapore’s new education system: education reform for national development. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.Google Scholar
Tan, R. & Chew, S. F.
(1970) An analysis of the attitudes of pupils in Chinese medium, English medium and integrated schools on selected variables. Academic exercise, Department of Sociology, University of Singapore.Google Scholar
SIE. CL2 Standards in English Stream: A Micro-study
(1977) Prepared by Textbooks & Publications Section, Ministry of Education.Google Scholar
The Goh Report
(1979) Report on the Ministry of Education 1978. Prepared by Dr Goh Keng Swee and the education study team. Textbooks & Publications Section, Ministry of Education.
The Straits Times
3 May 1966 11 April 1966 11 Sep 1966 8 May 1967 11 Nov 1972 6 Nov 1973 30 May 1974 15 May 1978 8 Sep 1979 29 Oct 1979 26 Oct 1981 31 Jan 1999 29 May 2019 23 Oct 2019.Google Scholar
Zhao, S., & Liu, Y.
(2010) Chinese education in Singapore: Constraints of bilingual policy from the perspectives of status and prestige planning. Language Problems & Language Planning, 34 (3), 236–258. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
[ p. 114 ]
Cited by

Cited by 1 other publications

Lee, Cher Leng & Chiew Pheng Phua
2021. Singapore Teochew as a heritage language. Nordic Journal of Linguistics 44:2 ► pp. 155 ff. Crossref logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 31 october 2021. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.