Abstract
Discussion of Singapore’s system of Chinese language education and assessment policy requires consideration of the wider political and socio-economic background of this dynamic Asian sovereign city-state. This chapter shows how recent reforms to the Chinese language education and examination system are more fully understood in terms of Singapore’s historical development between 1965 and 2021, alongside broader social and political factors. The chapter is presented in two substantive sections. The first section outlines the development of Singapore’s education and examination system. This is followed by scrutiny of Singapore’s Chinese language education and assessment policy with particular reference to key terms pertinent to this research, such as “mother tongue” and “bilingual policy”. The chapter addresses the limitations of the current bilingual policy and explores the policy’s implications for how the Chinese language is perceived, taught and examined in Singapore. Concluding comments argue that it is imperative for each actor involved in Singapore’s Chinese language education and assessment processes to remain receptive to recommendations and current influences.
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Notes
- 1.
According to the Report on the Ministry of Education 1978, attrition rates were 29% and 36% at the primary and secondary levels respectively, which were very much higher in comparison with education systems such as those in Taiwan, Japan, the United Kingdom and France. By 2000, the overall proportion of each primary one cohort that did not complete secondary education had fallen to 4% and has been less than 1% in the past five years (MOE, 2014).
- 2.
As mentioned earlier, the Government Secondary IV School Certificate (Chinese) examination was replaced by the Singapore-Cambridge GCE O-Level examination in 1971.
- 3.
Nanyang University was established in Singapore in 1955. During its existence, it was Singapore’s only Chinese language post-secondary institution. In 1980, Nanyang University merged with the University of Singapore to form the National University of Singapore.
- 4.
The British colonial government, however, took more interest in Malay stream schools as Malays were recognised as indigenous (Chia, 2015).
- 5.
These articles were penned by the former Director of the Institute of Education, Singapore, Dr Lau Wai Har, who documented the low morale and frustrations of Chinese intellectuals and argued strongly against the labelling of Chinese intellectuals as “chauvinists”. For a more thorough discussion, see Gopinathan (2003).
- 6.
In 1991, the Institute of Education merged with the College of Physical Education, which had been set up in 1984 to train specialist teachers in Physical Education, to form the National Institute of Education. The National Institute of Education is the sole teacher education institute for teachers in Singapore.
- 7.
The Speak Mandarin Campaign (讲华语运动) is a government initiative to promote the use of Chinese (i.e. Mandarin). The campaign was launched in 1979 by the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew with the objective of persuading all speakers of Chinese dialects to switch to Chinese. The campaign continues to be an annual event, although its focus now encourages English-speaking Singaporean Chinese to use the Chinese language more frequently.
- 8.
Students in the top 11–30% of the cohort who meet the language criteria (i.e. an A+ grade in Chinese or at least a Merit in Higher Chinese at primary school) may also be offered Higher Chinese (Chinese as a first language) at secondary level. Schools may also allow students who do not meet the above criteria to opt for Higher Chinese if they are assessed as having exceptional ability in Chinese and are able to study Chinese at a higher level without affecting their performance in other subjects.
- 9.
SEAB was established on 1 April 2004 as a statutory board under the MOE. Formerly the Examinations Division of MOE, SEAB was formed to develop and provide quality assessment services, with its core business being national examinations (SEAB, 2013). SEAB also provides other assessment services and conducts relevant research (Cheong, 2018; SEAB, 2019).
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Cheong, YY. (2022). Chinese Language Education and Assessment Policy in Singapore (1965–2021). In: Lee, YJ. (eds) Education in Singapore. Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects, vol 66. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9982-5_15
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