Abstract
This article focuses on the marketisation of education in Singapore since the mid-1980s. It describes and analyses two major manifestations of this phenomenon: the encouragement of greater school autonomy and the fostering of competition among schools. The article argues that the Singapore case does not involve a free market, but rather a regulated market. The promotion of such a quasi-market threatens to exacerbate not only the disparities between schools in terms of educational outcomes but also social inequalities. At the same time, it is not entirely clear whether the desired policy goals will be successfully attained. The discussion adds to the existing literature on the marketisation of education and its accompanying policy implications.
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Tan, J. The Marketisation of Education in Singapore: Policies and Implications. International Review of Education 44, 47–63 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003127023737
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003127023737