Tomorrow today; 2010 - unesdoc - Unesco

Building a world-class educationsystem through capacity-building:the Singapore experienceDavid John Hogan and Sing Kong Lee, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, SingaporeIn 1965, Singapore achieved independence as a postcolonialnation state, but it was more ‘state’ than ‘nation’. In the 45years since, Singapore has undertaken a distinctive and remarkablysuccessful programme of national development, becomingnot only an economic powerhouse in the Asian region, but alsoan influential, prosperous, orderly, cohesive, multi-racial, globalcity and nation state. In this endeavour, education has played apivotal part. From the beginning, the state provided a free andhighly subsidised, well-funded universal system of public education:currently, education accounts for 3.5 per cent of Singapore’sGDP. In the same year, secondary schools had a retention rate of95 per cent. Between 1970 and 2004, literacy rates jumped from68.9 per cent to 94.2 per cent; during the same period, the percentageof university graduates in the population increased from 1.9per cent to 12.1 per cent. These achievements are also evident inexceptional performance in international assessments in mathematicsand science. In the Trends in International Mathematicsand Science Study (TIMSS) assessment, for example, fourth- andeighth-grade students from Singapore consistently scored in thetop place in mathematics in 1995, 1999 and 2003. Inscience, fourth-grade students came seventh in 1995and first in 2003, while eighth grade students werefirst in 1995, second in 1999 and first in 2003.The rapid development and remarkable success ofSingapore’s educational system, and of Singaporemore broadly, in a mere 40-odd years is a remarkabletestament to the quality of its leadership andthe extraordinary commitment of the governmentto nation building. There has been heavy investmentin the formation of human capital – the onlymajor resource that Singapore possesses, otherthan its strategic geographical location – includingthe recruitment and training of key institutionalelites, the government’s commitment to securing ahigh degree of institutional alignment within andbetween sectors, and the energy, discipline, ambitionand confidence of its people. Within education, forImage: NIE, SingaporeImage: NIE, SingaporeThe National Institute of Education, Singapore, is an autonomous institute of the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore[ 102 ]