Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social, Political and Cultural Foundations of Educational Leadership in Singapore

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Cultural and Social Foundations of Educational Leadership

Part of the book series: Educational Governance Research ((EGTU,volume 16))

Abstract

This chapter examines the complex ways in which political, economic, cultural and moral foundations shape pervasive conceptions and practices of educational leadership in Singapore. It argues that school leadership reflects fundamental socio-political values that underpin Singaporean governance: these core values are built on three pillars – the developmental state, neo-liberalism and meritocracy. The chapter sketches the historical development of education and leadership since the foundation of Singapore as an independent republic in 1965, concluding that the instrumentalist imperative of education (preparation of a suitably qualified workforce, and cultivation of a loyal and harmonious citizenry) has dictated the purpose of schooling and thus the approach to leadership in Singapore’s education system. Further dimensions of leadership are explored in terms of its ‘tight-coupling’ between the hierarchical layers of the education system, and at school level, a ‘social compact’ between school leaders and teachers, which is reinforced by a paternalism associated with Confucianism. In emphasising the tight-coupling across the whole of society and its education system, the chapter concludes by powerfully illustrating how a ‘state-citizen compact’ based on values of trust, dependency and self-responsibilisation are reflected in the wider community, even in the lives of low-income, ethnic minority families.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adzahar, F. B. B. (2012). “Taking the gravel road”: Educational aspirations of working class Malay youths. Asian Journal of Social Science, 40, 153–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashforth, B. E., & Gibbs, B. W. (1990). The double-edge of organizational legitimation. Organization Science, 1(2), 177–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bach, D., & Christensen, S. (2017). Battling the tiger mother: Pre-school reform and conflicting norms of parenthood in Singapore. Children and Society, 31(2), 134–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ball, S. J. (2003). The teacher’s soul and the terrors of performativity. Journal of Education Policy, 18(2), 215–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carnoy, M. (1999). Globalization and educational reform: What planners need to know. Retrieved December 5, 2011, from http://www.uned-illesbalears.net/esp/desarrollo2.pdf

  • Chang, R. (2011). Time for a new social compact? Retrieved May 4, 2012, from Straits Times website: http://www.straitstimes.com/GeneralElection/Blogs/Story/STIStory_664591.html

  • Chen, C. C., & Farh, J. L. (2010). Development in understanding Chinese leadership: Paternalism and its elaborations, moderations, and alternatives. In M. H. Bond (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of Chinese psychology (pp. 599–622). Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chew, A. Y. (2017). The hidden costs of a successful developmental state: Prosperity and paucity in Singapore. Master’s thesis, London School of Economics. http://www.lse.ac.uk/international-development/Assets/Documents/PDFs/Dissertation/Prizewinning-Dissertations/PWD-2017/2018-ACY.pdf

  • Chiong, C. (2020a). State-school-family relations in Singapore: Perspectives of low-income families (Working Paper Series No. 1/2020). The HEAD Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chiong, C. (2020b). ‘Teachers know best’: Low-income families and the politics of home-school relations in Singapore. Families, Relationships and Societies, 9(1), 23–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiong, C., & Dimmock, C. (2020). Building trust: How low-income parents navigate neoliberalism in Singapore’s education system. Comparative Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2020.1724487

  • Chong, Y. K., & Ng, I. Y. H. (2016). Constructing poverty in anti-welfare Singapore. Social Identities: Journal for the Study of Race, Nation and Culture, 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chua, B. H. (2017). Liberalism disavowed: Communitarianism and state capitalism in Singapore. Cornell University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dale, R. (1999). Specifying globalization effects on national policy: A focus on the mechanisms. Journal of Education Policy, 14(1), 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deng, Z., & Gopinathan, S. (2016). PISA and high-performing education systems: Explaining Singapore’s education success. Comparative Education, 52(4), 449–472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dimmock, C. (2011). Diversifying schools and leveraging school improvement: A comparative analysis of the English radical and Singapore conservative, specialist schools’ policies. British Journal of Educational Studies, 59(4), 439–458.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dimmock, C. (2012). Leadership, capacity building and school improvement: Concepts, themes and impact. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dimmock, C., & Goh, J. W. P. (2011). Transformative pedagogy, leadership and school organisation for the twenty-first-century knowledge-based economy: The case of Singapore. School Leadership & Management, 31(3), 215–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dimmock, C., & Tan, C. Y. (2013). Educational leadership in Singapore: Tight-coupling, sustainability, scalability, and succession. Journal of Educational Administration, 51(3), 320–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dimmock, C., & Walker, A. (2005). Educational leadership: Culture and diversity. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dowling, J., & Pfeffer, J. (1975). Organizational legitimacy: Social values and organizational behavior. Pacific Sociological Review, 18(1), 122–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farh, J. L., & Cheng, B. S. (2000). A cultural analysis of paternalistic leadership in Chinese organizations. In J. T. Li, A. S. Tsui, & E. Weldon (Eds.), Management and organizations in the Chinese context (pp. 94–127). Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gee, C. (2012). The educational “arms race”: All for one, loss for all. Institute of Policy Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goh, C. T. (1997, June 2). Speech by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong at the opening of the 7th international conference on thinking, at the Suntec City Convention Centre Ballroom. Retrieved September 7, 2011, from http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/speeches/1997/020697.htm

  • Goh, J. W. P. (2009). ‘Parallel leadership in an “unparallel” world’ – Cultural constraints on the transferability of western educational leadership theories across cultures. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 12(4), 319–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gopinathan, S. (2005). Remaking the Singapore curriculum: Trends, issues and prospects. In First conference of Asia Pacific curriculum policy makers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gopinathan, S. (2007). Globalisation, the Singapore developmental state and education policy: A thesis revisited. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 5(1), 53–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gopinathan, S. (2012). Are we all global citizens now? Reflections on citizenship and citizenship education in a globalising world (With Special Reference to Singapore). Centre for Governance and Citizenship, The Hong Kong Institute of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gopinathan, S., & Deng, Z. (2006). Fostering school-based curriculum development in the context of new educational initiatives in Singapore. Planning & Changing, 37(1/2), 93–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gopinathan, S., Wong, B., & Tang, N. (2008). The evolution of school leadership policy and practice in Singapore: Responses to changing socio-economic and political contexts (“insurgents,” “implementers,” “innovators”). Journal of Educational Administration and History, 40(3), 235–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hairon, S., & Dimmock, C. (2012). Singapore schools and professional learning communities: Teacher professional development and school leadership in an Asian hierarchical system. Educational Review, 64(4), 405–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hallinger, P. (2018). Bringing context out of the shadows of leadership. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 46(1), 5–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hallinger, P., & Leithwood, K. (1998). Unseen forces: The impact of social culture on school leadership. Peabody Journal of Education, 73(2), 126–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han, C. (2009). Creating good citizens, or a competitive workforce, or just plain political socialization. In M. Lall & E. Vickers (Eds.), Education as a political tool in Asia (pp. 102–119). Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heng, S. K. (2012). Keynote Address by Mr Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Education, Ministry of Education (MOE) Work Plan Seminar 2012. (MOE, 12 September). Singapore.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heritage Foundation. (2019). Index of economic freedom. Retrieved June 30, 2020, from https://www.heritage.org/index/

  • Khong, L. Y. L., & Ng, P. T. (2005). School-parent partnerships in Singapore. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 4(1), 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koh, A. (2014). Doing class analysis in Singapore's elite education: Unravelling the smokescreen of ‘meritocratic talk’. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 12(2), 196–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koh, A., & Chong, T. (2014). Education in the global city: The manufacturing of education in Singapore. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 35(5), 625–636. https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2014.931112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lim, L. H. (2007). Illuminating the core of Singapore school leadership preparation: Two decades of in-service experience. International Journal of Educational Management, 21(5), 433–439.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lim, L. (2016). Globalization, the strong state and education policy: The politics of policy in Asia. Journal of Education Policy, 31(6), 711–726.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lim, L., & Apple, M. W. (2016). Introducing the strong state and curriculum reform in Asia. In L. Lim & M. Apple (Eds.), The strong state and curriculum reform: Assessing the politics and possibilities of educational change in Asia (pp. 1–20). Routledge.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Liow, E. D. (2011). The neoliberal-developmental state: Singapore as case study. Critical Sociology, 38(2), 241–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education. (2012, September 12). MOE removes secondary school banding and revamps school awards. Retrieved June 6, 2020, from www.MOE.gov.sg

  • Ministry of Education. (2018). Every school a good school. Retrieved June 6, 2020, from https://www.moe.gov.sg/education/education-system/every-school-a-good-school

  • Mourshed, M., Chijioke C., & Barber, M. (2010). How the world’s most improved school systems keep getting better. Retrieved June 6, 2020, from http://ssomckinsey.darbyfilms.com/reports/EducationBookNov23.pdf

  • Ng, P. T. (2005). Students’ perceptions of change in the Singapore education system. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 2(1), 27–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng, P. T. (2007). Quality assurance in the Singapore education system in an era of diversity and innovation. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 6(3), 235–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng, P. T. (2008a). Developing forward-looking and innovative school leaders: The Singapore leaders in education programme. Journal of In-service Education, 34(2), 237–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng, P. T. (2008b). Educational reform in Singapore: From quantity to quality. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 7(1), 5–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng, P. T. (2010). The evolution and nature of school accountability in the Singapore education system. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 22(4), 275–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng, J. (2019). What took Singapore so long to scrap streaming in secondary schools? This Week in Asia. South China Morning Post. Retrieved March 9, 2019, from https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2189285/what-took-singapore-so-long-scrap-streaming-secondary-schools

  • Quah, J. S. T. (2010). Trust and governance in the Philippines and Singapore: A comparative analysis. International Public Management Review, 11(2), 4–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharpe, L., & Gopinathan, S. (2002). After effectiveness: New directions in the Singapore school system? Journal of Education Policy, 17(2), 151–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, J. (2007). Pulling together amid globalization: National education in Singapore schools. In P. D. Hershock, M. Mason, & J. N. Hawkins (Eds.), Changing education: Leadership, innovation and development in a globalizing Asia Pacific (pp. 183–197). Springer & Comparative Education Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, K. P. (2008). Meritocracy and elitism in a global city: Ideological shifts in Singapore. International Political Science Review/Revue internationale de science politique, 29(1), 7–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, E. K. B. (2010). Social compact and the transformation of Singapore: Going beyond quid pro quo in governance. In T. Chong (Ed.), Management of success: Singapore revisited (pp. 80–99). Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tan, C. (2018). Comparing high-performing education systems. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, C. Y., & Dimmock, C. (2014). Educational policy making in Singapore: How a ‘top-performing’ school system formulates and implements policy. Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 42(5), 743–763.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trocki, C. A. (2006). Singapore: Wealth, power and the culture of control. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, K., Kutsyuruba, B., & Noonan, B. (2011). The fragility of trust in the world of school principals. Journal of Educational Administration, 49(5), 471–494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Worldometer. (2020). Singapore population. Retrieved June 23, 2020, from https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/singapore-population/

  • Zhang, Y. (1994). Leadership attributes in a cultural setting in Singapore. The International Journal of Educational Management, 8(6), 16–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

    Clive Dimmock

  2. Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong

    Cheng Yong Tan

  3. Independent Researcher, Melbourne, Australia

    Charleen Chiong

Authors
  1. Clive Dimmock
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Cheng Yong Tan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Charleen Chiong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Clive Dimmock .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France

    Romuald Normand

  2. Danish School of Education, Aarhus University, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Lejf Moos

  3. Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

    Min Liu

  4. Campus Brugg-Windisch, FHNW University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Windisch, Switzerland

    Pierre Tulowitzki

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Dimmock, C., Tan, C.Y., Chiong, C. (2021). Social, Political and Cultural Foundations of Educational Leadership in Singapore. In: Normand, R., Moos, L., Liu, M., Tulowitzki, P. (eds) The Cultural and Social Foundations of Educational Leadership. Educational Governance Research, vol 16. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74497-7_12

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74497-7_12

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-74496-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-74497-7

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation