Education, Culture and the Singapore Developmental State

This book explores the role of education in the formation of the Singapore developmental state. 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.

“Chia has consulted rich primary sources to construct a very detailed narrative of how citizenship education has played an important role in the politics of Singapore’s nation building. This is perhaps the greatest strength of this book. … This book is a useful resource for scholars, policy makers and students in the fields of development economics, citizenship education, history and social studies education.” (Ai Lian Chee, Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, May, 2016)

“The book will resonate with young Singaporeans like myself who experienced and encountered many of these policies and pedagogical materials. … This contribution will help students and scholars unfamiliar with Singapore to understand the central role the national education system plays in nation-building and state-formation through ‘socializing students into their roles as future citizens in Singapore’ … .” (Edgar  Liao, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 47(1), February, 2016)

“This book is a must-read for policy-makers, scholars and the engaged citizen. This book makes a valuable contribution to the conversation concerning the relationship between culture, education and economic development, especially in the era of globalisation.” (Richard O. Welsh, Parna Banerjee, History of Education, Vol. 47 (1), June, 2017)

“Chia’s book is a commendable effort to document and analyse five decades of citizenship education in Singapore. … The book is useful reading for academics who wish to obtain deeper insight into how the Singapore state has tried to shape citizenship education to its preferred purposes. … the impact of recent demographic changes in Singapore and the advent of social media on citizenship education makes fertile ground for future researchers.” (Jason Tan, Asia Pacific Journal of Education, Vol. 37 (2), April, 2017)

“A comprehensive account of Singapore’s citizenship education by providing intimate insights into the education experiences of teachers, curriculum planners and Members of Parliament, while maintaining his distance as an academic, critiquing the government’s intentions, implementation of policies and programmes and the works of other scholars. … provides a useful perspective for policymakers and academics to study curriculum changes in other nation states and to mediate the future of citizenship education in Singapore.” (British Journal of Educational Studies, Vol. 64 (3), 2016)

"This book provides an insightful analysis of policies to create a sense of national identity in Singapore. Through an analysis of policy documents and interviews, Chia documents changing conceptions of citizenship, and citizenship education. Chia notes that while state formation founded on economic growth has been successful, that growth and the state's distribution policies have made the fostering of an authentic and deep rooted sense of citizenship more problematic in the new century. A valuable addition to the Asian citizenship literature in particular, and citizenship literature globally." - S. Gopinathan, Adjunct Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore

"Education, Culture and the Singapore Developmental State provides a highly original and important case study of forging national identity through education. His research suggests that educational changes were driven by the state's deep sense of vulnerability in Singapore's economic and geo-political milieu and the perceived fragility in Singapore's social fabric. His research illustrates the strong relationship between the state and society in shaping citizenship education curriculum and programs, and thus also contributes to research on education and state formation. While Dr. Chia's work focuses on the unique elements of Singapore education and state-building in the post-1955 era, he situates his topic within internationally current themes and issues relating to multiculturalism, history, public memory, citizenship and state-building. This book will make an important contribution not only to the growth of community understanding within Singapore, but in history and citizenship education circles around the globe." Ruth Sandwell, Associate Professor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Canada

"Singapore has often been viewed as the quintessential 'development state.' This volume gives a vivid depiction of the ways in which successive waves of curricular reform most notably in the teaching of history have shaped the minds of young citizens. A meticulous analysis of primary documents over a 50 year period provides striking insights into the educational and cultural underpinnings of a uniquely Asian approach to state formation. A provocative and highly readable account!" - Ruth Hayhoe, Professor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Canada

Yeow-Tong Chia is Lecturer at the University of Sydney, Australia.