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Social Change and Education Reforms in High Performing Education Systems: Policy Lessons from Singapore and Hong Kong

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Globalisation, Ideology and Education Reforms

Part of the book series: Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research ((GCEP,volume 20))

Abstract

Both Singapore and Hong Kong have been ranked top (first and second) in international rankings such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Progress in International Reading Literacy Studies (PIRLS), and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in recent years. As such they are thus widely admired as high performing education systems (HPES) and, not surprisingly, among the best education systems in the world. The success stories of Singapore and Hong Kong education have aroused widespread attention among different stakeholders such as policymakers, researchers and practitioners internationally to see if it is possible for their policies and practices to be learnt and borrowed by other countries. Moreover, we stress the importance of context in understanding policy phenomena and possibilities for policy transfer. The two HPES are also encountering problems arising from globalisation and social change, and how well they deal with these problems will determine if their present international standing continues into the future. In addition, as both Singapore and Hong Kong are in the stage of post-developmental states, this chapter provides a critical review of education policies and reforms in both Singapore and Hong Kong to see how they can be refined and adjusted in order to cope with challenges facing both education systems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of History, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Michael H. Lee

  2. Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    S. Gopinathan

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  1. Michael H. Lee
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  2. S. Gopinathan
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Correspondence to Michael H. Lee .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education & Arts, School of Education, Australian Catholic University, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Joseph Zajda

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Lee, M.H., Gopinathan, S. (2020). Social Change and Education Reforms in High Performing Education Systems: Policy Lessons from Singapore and Hong Kong. In: Zajda, J. (eds) Globalisation, Ideology and Education Reforms. Globalisation, Comparative Education and Policy Research, vol 20. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1743-2_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1743-2_6

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