Mr Joshua Liaw/Ms Maureen Tee Zhi En - Economic Society of ...

Liaw Liang Huat Joshua 

Tee Zhi En Nina Maureen 

ABSTRACT 

Singapore faces a new wave of globalization – one that is characterized by a 

more integrated world, high mobility of factors of production and their rapid and 

inexpensive transmission, and innovation-driven economic growth. The implication 

is that new skills and competencies are necessary for Singapore to adapt to these 

changes. Because human capital is Singapore’s sole resource, the education 

system must train today’s students to be equipped with the know-how to succeed 

in the competitive global environment. 

With the challenges of globalization in mind, we identify the needs of the 

education system to be Creating Awareness of Global Issues, Encouraging 

Creativity and Innovation, Promoting Entrepreneurship and Risk-taking, 

Encouraging Diverse Talents and Creating Communicators. The education 

system is evaluated with respect to these five areas and whilst the education 

system has many sound policies in place, there are aspects which do not prepare 

students for what is to come in the face of globalization. 

In this light, our recommendations focus on three key concepts: First, the 

Approach to Assessment and Instruction, in which we stress that the 

education system needs to move towards a system that is process-oriented as 

opposed to one that is assessment-based. Second, the Atmosphere, which 

argues that the type of environment plays a crucial role in challenging and 

nurturing students. Lastly, there are the Agents, who are the teachers and the 

vital enforcers of the changes that we propose. The goal is to have a workforce of 

teachers with a passion for teaching, for it is the passion that will breathe life into 

the transformation that needs to take place in the education system. These 

recommendations call for a change in mindsets and attitudes that society holds 

towards education. 

"…I define globalization this way: it is the inexorable integration of markets, 

nation-states, and technologies to a degree never witnessed before-in a 

1



way that is enabling individuals, corporations and nation-states to reach 

around the world farther, faster, deeper and cheaper than ever before . . . 

the spread of free-market capitalism to virtually every country in the world 1 ." 

A century ago, the shores of the Singapore River were humming with economic 

activity as tongkangs brought goods from China, Europe, India and other parts of 

the region to be stored, transshipped and consumed in Singapore. In addition, 

Singapore’s rising fortunes in trade drew immigrants to its shores. Most 

immigrants were endowed with no skills but they brought with them a hunger to 

find a better life than that of their homelands. Both people and goods flowed freely 

in the absence of tariffs and immigration restrictions. 

Fast-forward hundred years: the shores of the Singapore River are still bustling 

with economic activity, mercantile trade still flourishes, and foreign professionals 

still look to Singapore for better prospects. In fact, it looks as if little has changed 

for Singapore with regards to globalization. Today, many goods are not subjected 

to tariffs and Singapore still maintains a fairly open immigration policy. 

However, the new game of globalization is being told with different stories – those 

of foreign direct investments, outsourcing, information technology and so on. 

Twenty-first century globalization is characterized by the relative mobility of factors 

of production, its rapid and inexpensive transmission, and growth that is driven by 

innovation rather than merely efficiency. Correspondingly, new skills and new 

competencies are required for Singapore to meet these challenges of 

globalization, find its unique niche in the world, and to fit into the global market. 

With Singapore’s only resource being its human capital, it is evident that 

Singapore must train the young to be prepared and equipped with these skills and 

competencies. Academics have concurred that one of the key reasons for 

1 

Friedman, Thomas L. (2000). “The Lexus and the Olive Tree”. London: Harper-Collins. p.7-8 

2



Singapore’s rapid economic development was its education system 2 . As the 

education system plays an important role in shaping the skills that the labor force 

will eventually have, thus, it is necessary to examine Singapore’s education 

system in order to obtain insights on whether we have the ingredients to cook up a 

competitive labor force attuned to a global environment. 

2 

Morris (1996) and Kwon (1997). 

3



WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF GLOBALIZATION IN EDUCATION 

In this section, we identify the needs of the education system in the light of new 

challenges brought about by globalization. 

Creating Awareness of Global Issues 

We define awareness in two aspects – knowing the fact and understanding its 

interpretation. Awareness is an important issue to address because able 

participants of globalization need to be knowledgeable of world issues. It is 

hopelessly insufficient to be merely aware of local issues as the world becomes 

increasingly interlinked by global networks. Seemingly independent events 

happening in one part of the world would bring about domino effects to the rest of 

the world. We need to be aware of current affairs in multidisciplinary fields and 

understand how they affect the world and us. With the embrace of globalization, 

ignorance is a luxury that we can ill afford. 

Encouraging Creativity and Innovation 

As globalization becomes a ubiquitous fact-of-life, it is pertinent for an advanced 

economy to shift production up the value chain in order to move out of activities 

that do not command a competitive advantage. The lowest stage of the value 

chain consists of agricultural/mineral extraction, followed by activities such as 

manufacturing and distribution. Developing economies typically have an inherent 

dominance in these sectors because of their lower cost structures that afford them 

a competitive advantage. Product creation and innovation occupies the highest 

stage in the value chain, and is fuelled by a research and development capability. 

Hence, it is imperative that the education system yields graduates who are 

creative and innovative in order for the economy to thrive. 

Promoting Entrepreneurship and Risk-taking 

The Singapore economy is dominated by multinational corporations and 

government-linked companies, with small and medium enterprises constituting a 

4



minority of businesses. Singapore needs to move from an economy dominated by 

these large firms to one that is made up of an entrepreneur base. Enterprisecreation 

forms the highest position in the value chain, often associated with 

innovation in marketing, product and services, business models, technology and 

so on. Mr Lim Swee Say, the former Minister of State for Trade and Industry, 

emphasized that in “repositioning our economy towards a Knowledge-Based 

Economy, we will have to continue to strengthen our capabilities in value adding, 

and at the same time build new capabilities in value creation 3 ”. 

Many agree that entrepreneurship cannot be taught; rather, it is an outlook 

developed through experiential learning. We share the sentiment of Mr Kwek Leng 

Beng of the Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) movement in 

Singapore that “entrepreneurs are not necessarily born and they can be nurtured” 4 . 

For the education system, the challenge then becomes that of how to create the 

opportunities, desire and environment for entrepreneurship to take root. 

Establishing the environment and creating opportunities caters to those who are 

already interested in entrepreneurship. To promote entrepreneurship, the students 

need to first form the desire and be convinced that it is a viable and respectable 

path of career. 

Encouraging Diverse Talents 

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the Education Minister, underscored the 

importance of diversity as a goal of education: 

“We should positively encourage a diversity of talents…We should value 

people with irregular strengths, not make them regular. It is the irregular and 

unusual talents and ideas that give most great cities their energy and vitality 5 .” 

3 

Lim Swee Say. Transcript of Speech at the Official Opening of JTC’s Technopreneur Centre. Ministry of 

Trade and Industry, Singapore. Available on the Internet: http://www.mti.gov.sg/public/NWS/frm_NWS_ 

Default.aspsid=39&cid=295. (Date accessed: 3 January 2005). 

4 

Kwek Leng Beng (2004). Transcript of Mr Kwek Leng Beng’s Interview at the BlueSky Conference on 10 

Jul 04 at Suntec Singapore. Available on the Internet: http://www.ace.org.sg/News/past_features.asp 

ID=22. (Date accessed: 3 January 2005). 

5 

Tharman Shanmugaratnam (2004). Transcript of Speech at the MOE Work Plan Seminar 2004. Available 

5



As the world becomes increasingly globalized, Singapore needs a variety of 

talents in order to meet the increased competition brought about by an integrated 

world. Instead of the decanted clones in Huxley’s Brave New World (1932), we 

should aim to create unique individuals rather than carbon copies built for mass 

production. We cannot continue to rely on centralized human resource planning 

and manufacture graduates to meet national quotas for each skill set. In the new 

era of globalization, we have to compete by developing strengths, not numbers. 

Therefore, it is important to develop each individual’s strengths and create leaders 

in their own right. 

Creating communicators 

With new info-communication technologies and integrated logistic networks, 

factors of production, particularly people and ideas, are more mobile than before. 

They face less restrictions to movement than before, are cheaper to move, and 

can be moved quickly around the world. In order to profit from the unparalleled 

collapse of barriers, effective communicators are indispensable for the economy 

to plug into global markets. Effective communicators are people who can 

communicate their ideas to others, as well as be communicated to. 

HOW DOES SINGAPORE’S EDUCATION SYSTEM MEASURE UP 

With respect to the needs that we have identified in the previous section, we 

examine current education policies and initiatives to determine if they have been 

effective in meeting the challenges of globalization. 

Creating Awareness of Global Issues 

There is little doubt in our minds that Singapore students have a good grasp of 

basic knowledge. This is clearly illustrated by Singapore students’ performance in 

international competitions. For example, Singapore was ranked first in 

Mathematics and Science in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science 

on the Internet: http://www.moe.gov.sg/speeches/2004/sp20040929.htm. (Date accessed: 4 January 2005). 

6



Study (TIMSS) in 2003, 1999 and 1995 6 . Yet despite this sterling performance, we 

dare say that Singaporeans remain uninformed about global issues. It is a source 

of embarrassment that Singaporeans can excel in international competitions such 

as TIMSS, yet remain in the dark about recent global developments or express 

muted reactions to current affairs. 

In the current system, teachers may introduce elements in the course of their 

teaching, such as newspaper commentaries and discuss issues which revolve 

around a current theme, but this can hardly count towards a concerted effort to 

educate students about global issues. The scale at which these activities are 

carried out are minimal and a key constraint is the fact that teachers have to cover 

the core syllabus before proceeding to this supposed additional enrichment 

exercises. To be fair, there has been a reduction in syllabus content in recent 

years which would present teachers with more time to allocate to this aspect of 

education. However, this element of awareness about global issues is still largely 

absent in students today. 

Encouraging Creativity and Innovation 

So are graduates of the Singapore education system creative The research of 

Dong Fengming et al (2001) provides some insight 7 . The study posed routine and 

non-routine mathematical questions to junior college students, and concluded that 

the students were often neither able to consider implied cases nor extend learnt 

techniques. This seems to indicate that these students could be lacking in 

creativity. 

6 

Ministry of Education, Singapore (2003). “Singapore Tops The Trends in International Mathematics and 

Science Surveys (2003). Available on the Internet: http://www.moe.gov.sg/press/2004/pr20041214.htm. 

(Date accessed: 4 January 2005). 

7 

Dong Fengming, Lee Tuo Yeng, Tay Eng Guan & Toh Tin Lam (2001). “Performance of Singapore Junior 

College Students on some Non-Routine Problems” in Edge, Douglas & Yeap Ban Har (eds.) (2002), 

Mathematics Education for a Knowledge-Based Era, vol. 2. Singapore: Association of Mathematics 

Educators, National Institute of Education. 

7



A criticism of the education system in this regard is the examination-based 

assessment at the end of primary, secondary and junior college education. The 

argument here is that the examination-based assessments remove the 

opportunities for creativity, as students and teachers adopt a myopic view of 

academic success based on grades. Students spend many hours revising pastyear 

questions preparing for the examination. In the end, many students are 

examination-savvy but cannot apply the knowledge learnt to out-of-texts scenarios. 

Cognizant of these challenges, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has granted some 

schools the permission to implement “integrated programs” (also known as 

“through-train” programs) that allow students who have attained standards to 

proceed on to the next stage of education without taking examinations. The 

integrated programs are designed to cut-down on examination-based 

assessments to free students’ time for more learning. Nonetheless, it is important 

to note that the program is only available to a minority – students from elite 

schools. Thus, there are limitations to the effectiveness of this initiative in 

establishing an environment conducive to encouraging the entire education 

system to yield more innovative and creative graduates. 

In addition, MOE has introduced project work in schools, giving students 

opportunities to experiment and relate seemingly unrelated areas of their 

knowledge. This encourages multidisciplinary learning and allows students to 

relate textbook knowledge to realistic and practical scenarios. Project work also 

promotes teamwork and teaches students about group dynamics. However, 

feedback from students revealed that the current process is overly administrative 

and more time should be allocated to research instead 8 . 

Encouraging Diverse Talents 

A characteristic of Singapore’s education system is the streaming process, which 

separates students based on their academic abilities as measured by 

8 

The Straits Times (15 November 2004). “Project Work lets students research topic in depth”. 

8



examinations. Streaming leaves little room for students to attempt nonconventional 

paths of development, which could be their forte or areas of interests. 

Consequentially, this prohibits the development of the students’ strength. 

Specialized programs and subjects such as the Music Enrichment Program, Arts 

Enrichment Program and Higher Languages are only offered to students 

contingent that they have done well in other subjects. This denies students who 

have strengths and considerable promise the opportunities to develop their talents 

if they are academically weak in other subjects. All-rounded elites who may not 

even specialize in these areas later in life are cultivated at the expense of these 

promising students. 

Another consequence to the streaming system is the social stigma associated 

with weaker students. Society labels students who enter EM3 stream as being 

weaker than their counterparts. There is a certain stigma that a student faces 

upon entering a stream that is meant for academically weaker students. The 

psychological effects of being deemed a failure may then become self-fulfilling, as 

society reinforces this perception. 

MOE has established independent schools catering to niche talents such as the 

Singapore Sports School. However, we note that the School still has high entry 

requirements based on academic results. No doubt, these criteria may be a 

responsible policy set by the school as it ensures that athletes will be able to have 

a post-sports career by providing them with other qualifications. If, however, 

Singapore was really intent on producing world-class athletes, are academic 

results relevant When the Singapore flag is flown in victory at the Olympics, the 

academic qualifications of the athletes should not matter. The Sports School is a 

good idea, but it still panders to over-emphasis on academic achievements, 

discouraging young aspiring athletes who are academically weak. 

9



Promoting Entrepreneurship and Risk-taking 

What has MOE done with regards to encouraging entrepreneurship In schools 

such as Dunman High School and Kranji Secondary School, students are 

provided first-hand experience of business ventures with the Entrepreneurship 

Programme 9 . The Entrepreneurship Programs are non-mandatory co-curricular 

activities that allow interested students to develop entrepreneurial skills. Although 

a number of schools have introduced such programmes, there will be greater 

rewards if such programmes become more widespread in schools than they are at 

present. 

If we concede to the position that entrepreneurship cannot be taught, we would 

not expect lessons or curricula to be developed for this purpose. Rather, the role 

of the education system is to create a favorable environment for the development 

of young entrepreneurs. As this is a new initiative and the creation of a “favorable 

environment” is difficult to measure, there is a sore absence of empirical evidence 

on the success of MOE in introducing it to the schools. Nonetheless, we are of the 

opinion that there should be further support. 

Another aspect of encouraging entrepreneurship is the marketing of 

entrepreneurship as a viable and respectable career choice. The perception and 

notion of a career as an entrepreneur amongst youths has improved considerably 

in recent years, possibly due to concerted efforts by the government and 

educators. 

Regardless of work done in this area we note that funds and support gravitate 

towards encouraging technology-based entrepreneurship (technopreneurship). 

The award of incentives and funding should be balanced between good business 

ideas and good product ideas. 

9 Details are available at the respective schools’ websites: http://kranji.edu.sg/entre.html and http:// 

www.dhs.moe.edu.sg/departments_pd1.html. (Date accessed: 4 January 2005). 

10



Creating communicators 

The Singapore education system has much strength with regards to its language 

policy. For example, the bilingual policy has ensured that all students are exposed 

to both English and a Mother Tongue language from young. In addition, much of 

the material used in schools has been developed within a local context. Besides 

teaching students about their local society, it allows them to identify with issues 

and culture they are familiar with. One of the greatest strengths of languageteaching 

in Singapore lies in MOE’s continual review of teaching methods and 

curricula, ensuring that the changing needs of students are met over the years. 

Despite these steps in the right direction, MOE has also recognized that there are 

students who are unable to master both required languages. Instead, many 

students are stronger in one language than in the other. At the 2004 Review of 

the Chinese Language Curriculum and Pedagogy, the discussions extended 

beyond Chinese language. The Ministers noted that many students have trouble 

coping with English. A survey conducted by MOE revealed that there were more 

students in Secondary 4 who had greater difficulty in English than in Chinese 10 . 

English is undeniably our means of communication with the world as well as a 

lingua franca in our multi-racial society. Singapore has taken a right step to adopt 

the bilingual policy, but few Singaporeans today can claim that they are proficient 

in both languages. We need to face the realization that language has evolved into 

a motley mess of dialects and colloquialisms which is unique to Singapore. And 

Pidgin English will not enable us to connect with the global economy. 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

Singapore can and needs to do more. We have an excellent education system, 

but it was built to withstand challenges of a different chapter of Singapore’s history 

and is not ready to sail Singapore through the winds of change. A transformation 

10 Survey of Teaching and Learning of the Chinese Language (MOE Survey 204) Annex F p.27 para. 13 

Available on the Internet: http://www.moe.gov.sg/press/2004/Executive%20Summary.pdf (Date accessed: 

6 January 2004) 

11



is necessary, and we propose the following upgrades and changes to address the 

pertinent challenges that we have identified. 

Approach (to Assessment and Instruction) 

The education system is overly assessment-based, and we need to move to one 

that focuses on processes and emphasizes thinking and learning. Learning 

should not be a by-product of examination preparations; rather, students should 

be learning for learning’s sake. 

Assessments are, however, indispensable because students’ academic progress 

needs to be evaluated for progress. Assessment can be continuous and creative 

to include project work, research essays, assignments, open-book tests and 

presentations. Continual assessment tends to put more emphasis on the process 

of learning than do periodic assessment. 

A change to assessment methods will consequentially bring about a review of 

teaching methods and pedagogical changes. Continual assessments will allow 

teachers the flexibility to use unconventional media and tools in their teaching. For 

example, students would need to read beyond their textbooks and study further in 

depth their topics in order to write good research essays and as a result, this can 

fuel further exploration of specific interests that students may have. This allows 

the students to become more aware of real-world issues and to exercise their 

creativity in their research, interpretations and analyses. Additionally, teachers can 

incorporate creative thinking and research skills into their lessons. These skills, 

apart from helping the students in their learning, also become life skills that they 

can use in future. 

Ever-evolving knowledge has made the contents of textbooks quickly obsolete. 

Global and real-world issues should be brought into the classroom to infuse 

learning with a window to the outside world. Learning should not be static because 

12



knowledge and discoveries are not. An instance of a teaching method that does 

this is Problem-Based Learning (PBL). PBL, unlike traditional education, begins 

with a problem and then teaches the facts and skills in a relevant context 11 . Within 

the parameters of the problem of study, PBL allows students to propose creative 

and viable solutions to the problems. It imbues the students with a better 

understanding of circumstantial environments, improves their knowledge of issues 

and allows for application of knowledge learnt in the classrooms. 

We believe that PBL has great potential in secondary schools and junior colleges, 

although there are some constraints which must be resolved before PBL can be 

viable for use in schools. These changes are philosophical in nature and require 

the support of schools and curriculum planners 12 . 

Atmosphere (Environment) 

We need to create an atmosphere which challenges students and pushes them 

out of their comfort zone, whilst providing a safe place for them to learn from their 

mistakes and grow. Building a conducive environment is crucial if we want to 

teach students about risk-taking. An environment receptive to ideas and where 

students can bounce ideas off each other helps students to learn from one 

another, ultimately leading to better innovations. As mentioned earlier, there are 

an increasing number of schools which are implementing Entrepreneurship 

Programmes. Such programmes foster a culture of entrepreneurship within a safe 

haven for students to develop entrepreneurial skills. In short, students need to be 

challenged and nurtured. 

The learning of language is also greatly affected by the environment in which 

students are taught. Creating an environment in school where it is necessary to 

11 

12 

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. “Problem-Based Learning”. Available on the Internet: 

http://www.edtech.vt.edu/edtech/id/models/pbl.html. (Date accessed: 4 January 2005). 

Ho, Boon Tiong and Toh Kok Aun (2001). “Secondary School Teachers’ Reflections on the Use of 

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in Classroom Teaching” in Tan, Jason et al. (ed.) (2001), Challenges 

Facing the Singapore Education System Today. Singapore: Prentice-Hall. p.71-82. 

13



use a language allows students to become proficient with it. Opportunities for 

interaction can be brought about by a variety of class activities, such as putting up 

a class play or story-telling. Other classroom strategies include questioning, 

summarizing, critiquing and essay-writing 13 . 

In addition, students can also be taken out of the classroom and placed in 

situations where it is necessary for them to practice the language, such as the 

Language Immersion Programme in Vietnam organized annually in the National 

University of Singapore’s Vietnamese language course 14 . In such an environment, 

students use the language in practical situations and therefore learning takes 

place more effectively. Moreover, taking students abroad also exposes them to 

different cultures and lifestyles, which deepens their understanding of other 

countries. 

An alternative to placing local students in a foreign environment is to recruit more 

foreign teachers, who bring with them diverse backgrounds and can alter the 

teaching environment in many aspects. Foreign teachers expose our students to 

different cultures and in doing so, students become aware of a world so vast 

beyond Singapore. Coming from a variety of education systems, foreign teachers 

also have alternative teaching methods and original ideas on how to teach a 

subject. 

Agents 

We have spent much time deliberating on how certain aspects of the education 

system can be altered and raised to a new level. Nevertheless, that vital breath of 

life is still sorely lacking and it can only be from one source: teachers. Teachers, 

as enactors of the education system, must be agents of change. 

13 Koo, Swit Ling and Sujata S. Kathpalia (2004). “Interactive Classrooms – Ingredients to Promote Critical 

Thinking” in Khoo, Angeline et al. (ed.) (2004), Innovation and Diversity in Education. Singapore: 

McGraw-Hill, p.144-159. 

14 National University of Singapore “Immersion Programme in VN”. Available on the Internet: http://www. 

fas.nus.edu.sg/cls/viet/immersion.htm (Date accessed: 6 January 2005) 

14



There is a dearth of information to substantiate these claims, but ground evidence 

suggests that there exists a high turnover rate within the teacher workforce, the 

general sentiment is dissatisfaction and that teachers are over-burdened with 

administrative tasks that hamper the performance of their true role as teachers 15 . 

Given this state of affairs, it is little wonder that teaching as a profession is not 

highly regarded. 

To be sure, MOE has taken many steps to help improve the teaching environment, 

such as the recent move to increase the manpower grant so that schools can hire 

support services to lighten the teachers’ workload 16 . Programmes are in place to 

provide teachers with opportunities to receive more training, such as the 

Professional Development Continuum Models and the Learning Framework for 

teachers. Indeed, these efforts are all well and good, but policies and 

infrastructure have limits to what they can do to improve the teaching environment. 

The education system needs teachers who have a sense of passion about their 

job. Developing a workforce of such passionate teachers is a long process, which 

is easier said than done. However, we can start today by providing students with 

role models, for it is today’s students who will become tomorrow’s teachers. 

Mentors serve as an inspiration to students and influence their attitudes and 

mindsets; they are the driving force to fulfilling a vision of empowered teachers 

with that desire to share their knowledge. 

As a start, we need to change perceptions of teaching through the powerful 

impact of advertising. We can portray teaching as an attractive profession, which 

is rewarding and exciting. This is difficult but not impossible as shown by the 

Singapore government’s success at changing the image of the military. But 

15 

Tharman (2004), Ibid. 

16 

Ministry of Education, Singapore. “MOE gives more resources to support teaching”, 29 September 2004. 

Available on the Internet: http://www.moe.gov.sg/press/2004/pr20040929.htm (Date accessed: 14 January 

2005) 

15



ultimately, we acknowledge that the passion we speak of is an element that 

comes from within an individual, and which we can only seek to nurture. 

CONCLUSION 

Singapore’s education system is a robust one that has enabled Singapore to 

progress by leaps and bounds in the last forty years. An effective education 

system is central to our desire to remain relevant to the global economy. As we 

have shown, a globalized world brings about new challenges which must be met 

by a rethink of our education system. 

We must change our approach from an assessment-based system to a processbased 

one. We need to create a favorable atmosphere to challenge and nurture 

the growth of our youths. We have to empower and motivate our teachers to 

become effective agents of change. 

Our recommendations can only go so far to help transform the education system. 

Changes within the scope of the education system can only fight the symptoms, 

but not the inherent root cause. While we recognize the importance of 

transforming the education system, we have to acknowledge another significant 

factor in overcoming the challenges of globalization – mindsets. 

Our mindsets are embodied in the over-emphasis of assessment in the education 

system and how we narrow-mindedly define success by academic achievements. 

Mindsets, however, once rooted into our collective memory, take time to change. 

Alas, we have no solutions on how to change mindsets and traditional attitudes to 

education. These issues are the challenges of Singapore’s leaders, which are 

beyond us. 

But we can be hopeful. Educators, policymakers and the Singapore public are 

increasingly aware of the changing needs of the education system. Concrete 

16



steps in education reform and vibrant discussions challenging conventional 

opinions of the education system, are indicative of this new understanding and 

demonstrate our willingness for positive change. 

Let us press forward now with a common understanding that education is the first 

step to finding our place in the new era of globalization. 

17



REFERENCES 

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Morris, P. (1996). “Asia’s Four Little Tigers: A Comparison of the Role of 

Education in their Development” in Comparative Education, 32(1): p. 95-109. 

Kwon, H.J. (1997). “Beyond European Welfare Regimes: Comparative 

Perspectives on East Asian Welfare Systems” in Journal of Social Policy, 26, p. 

467-484. 

Lim Swee Say. Transcript of Speech at the Official Opening of JTC’s 

Technopreneur Centre. Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore. Available on 

the 

Internet: 

http://www.mti.gov.sg/public/NWS/frm_NWS_Default.aspsid=39&cid= 295. (Date 

accessed: 3 January 2005). 

Kwek Leng Beng (2004). Transcript of Mr Kwek Leng Beng’s Interview at the 

BlueSky Conference on 10 Jul 04 at Suntec Singapore. Available on the Internet: 

http://www.ace.org.sg/News/past_features.asp ID=22. (Date accessed: 3 

January 2005). 

Tharman Shanmugaratnam (2004). Transcript of Speech at the MOE Work Plan 

Seminar 2004. Available on the Internet: http://www.moe.gov.sg/speeches/2004/ 

sp20040929.htm. (Date accessed: 4 January 2005). 

Huxley, A. (1932) “Brave New World”. New York: Perennial Classics. 

Ministry of Education, Singapore (2003). “Singapore Tops The Trends in 

International Mathematics and Science Surveys (2003). Available on the Internet: 

http://www.moe.gov.sg/press/2004/pr20041214.htm. (Date accessed: 4 January 

2005). 

Dong Fengming, Lee Tuo Yeng, Tay Eng Guan & Toh Tin Lam (2001). 

“Performance of Singapore Junior College Students on some Non-Routine 

Problems” in Edge, Douglas & Yeap Ban Har (eds.) (2002), Mathematics 

18



Education for a Knowledge-Based Era, vol. 2. Singapore: Association of 

Mathematics Educators, National Institute of Education. 

“Project Work lets students research topic in depth”, Straits Times, 15 November 

2004 

Kranji Secondary School. Available on the Internet: http://kranji.edu.sg/entre.html. 


Dunman Secondary School. Available on the Internet: http://www.dhs. 

moe.edu .sg/departments_pd1.html. (Date accessed: 4 January 2005). 

Survey of Teaching and Learning of the Chinese Language (MOE Survey 2004) 

Annex F p. 27 para. 13. Available on the Internet: 

http://www.moe.gov.sg.sh/press/ 2004/Executive%20Summary.pdf (Date 

accessed: 6 January 2004) 

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. “Problem-Based Learning”. 

Available on the Internet: http://www.edtech.vt.edu/edtech/id/models/pbl.html. 


Ho, Boon Tiong and Toh Kok Aun (2001). “Secondary School Teachers’ 

Reflections on the Use of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in Classroom Teaching” 

in Tan, Jason et al. (ed.) (2001), Challenges Facing the Singapore Education 

System Today. Singapore: Prentice-Hall. p.71-82. 

Koo, Swit Ling and Sujata S. Kathpalia (2004). “Interactive Classrooms – 

Ingredients to Promote Critical Thinking” in Khoo, Angeline et al. (ed.) (2004), 

Innovation and Diversity in Education. Singapore: McGraw-Hill, p.144-159. 

National University of Singapore “Immersion Programme in VN”. Available on the 

Internet: http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/cls/viet/immersion.htm. (Date accessed: 6 

January 2005) 

Ministry of Education, Singapore. “MOE gives more resources to support 

teaching”, 29 September 2004. Available on the Internet: 

http://www.moe.gov.sg/press/2004/pr20040 29.htm. (Date accessed: 14 January 

2005) 

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Mr Joshua Liaw/Ms Maureen Tee Zhi En - Economic Society of ...

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