Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Singapore: A Small Nation with Big Dreams of Being a Global Schoolhouse

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Palgrave Handbook of Asia Pacific Higher Education

Abstract

For over a decade, the Singapore government has publicly expressed its ambition to make the country an international education hub. This intention has been justified primarily on economic grounds: boosting economic competitiveness within the knowledge-based economy, and adding to the pool of local talent. This chapter begins with a brief historical background of higher education in Singapore. It outlines the genesis of the ambitious “global schoolhouse” project, which was launched in 2002 by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, with an ambitious target of recruiting 150,000 international full-fee-paying students by the year 2015. The chapter then analyzes the social context within which the “global schoolhouse” project was formulated. Next, the chapter highlights the various challenges that have faced the implementation of this project.

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 229.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 299.99
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

  • Ang, K. 2012. “Tisch school of arts to close Singapore school.” The New York Times, November 18, 2012. Available online at: http://www.nytimes.com. Accessed 16 Apr 2015.

  • Bradshaw, D. 2013. “Chicago Booth to move executive MBA from Singapore to Hong Kong. Financial Times, July 11, 2013. Available online at: http://www.ft.com. Accessed 16 Apr 2015.

  • Curtis, L. 2014. “‘Foreigners are taking our jobs’ complain Singaporeans.” The Telegraph, November 4, 2014. Available online at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/11205536/Foreigners-are-taking-our-jobs-complain-Singaporeans.html. Accessed 17 Apr 2015.

  • Davie, S. 2009. “School peddles fake RMIT degree.” Asia One, June 19, 2009. Available online at: http://news.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20090617-149061.html. Accessed 16 Apr 2015.

  • ——— 2014. “Singapore may rue fall in foreign student numbers.” The Straits Times, October 2, 2014. A24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Department of Statistics. 2014. Population trends 2014. Singapore: Department of Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez, W. 1997. “One in five Raffles students should be a foreigner, says SM Lee.” The Sunday Times, October 5, 1997. 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goh, C.T. 1996. NUS and NTU must aim to become world-class universities. Speeches 20(5): 14–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gold, R. 2013. “University of Chicago moves Asia M.B.A. program to Hong Kong from Singapore: The school cites ‘proximity to China’ as a prime attraction.” The Wall Street Journal, July 11, 2013. Available online at: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324879504578599183269963300. Accessed 16 Apr 2015.

  • Government of Singapore. 2011. Private education act (Revised Edition). Government of Singapore. Available online at: statutes.age.gov.sg. Accessed 17 Apr 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaschik, S. 2006, July 27. “A divorce in Singapore.” Inside Higher ED. Available online at: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/07/27/singapore. Accessed 16 Apr 2015.

  • Knight, J. 2014. Three generations of crossborder higher education: New developments issues, and challenges. In Internationalization of higher education and global mobility, ed. B. Streitwieser. Oxford: Symposium Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, P. 2014. “Singapore losing allure as hub for education.” The Straits Times, September 20, 2014. B1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lim, H.K. 2012. “Minister Lim Hng Kiang’s written reply to parliament questions on EDB’s global schoolhouse initiative.” Ministry of Trade and Industry, October 17, 2012. Available online at: https://www.mti.gov.sg/NewsRoom/Pages/Minister-Lim-Hng-Kiang's-written-reply-to-Parliament-Questions-on-EDB's-Global-Schoolhouse-initiative.aspx. Accessed 17 Apr 2015.

  • ——— 2013. “Minister Lim Hng Kiang’s written reply to parliament question on Tisch School of the Arts Asia.” Ministry of Trade and Industry, January 14, 2013. Available online at: https://www.mti.gov.sg/NewsRoom/Pages/Minister-Lim-Hng-Kiang%E2%80%99s-Written-Reply-to-Parliament-Question-on-Tisch-School-of-the-Arts-Asia.aspx. Accessed 17 Apr 2015.

  • Ministry of Education. 1999. Preparing graduates for a knowledge economy: A new university admission system for Singapore. Singapore: Ministry of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2000. Fostering autonomy and accountability in universities: A review of public university governance and funding in Singapore. Singapore: Ministry of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2004. Towards a flexible and differentiated university admission system. Singapore: Ministry of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2005. Autonomous universities–towards peaks of excellence. Singapore: Ministry of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2007. Findings of cohort study on polytechnic graduates acquiring university level education. Singapore: Ministry of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2008. Report of the committee on the expansion of the university sector: Greater choices, more room to excel (preliminary report). Singapore: Ministry of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2012. Report of the committee on university education pathways beyond 2015. Singapore: Ministry of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Trade and Industry. 1986. The Singapore economy: New directions. Singapore: Ministry of Trade and Industry.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 1991. The Strategic economic plan: Towards a developed nation. Singapore: Ministry of Trade and Industry.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 1996. Report of the cost review committee 1996. Singapore: Ministry of Trade and Industry.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2002. Panel recommends “global schoolhouse” concept for Singapore to capture bigger slice of US$2.2 trillion world education market. Singapore: Ministry of Trade and Industry.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2003. New challenges, fresh goals: Towards a dynamic global city. Singapore: Ministry of Trade and Industry.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mok, K.H., and J. Tan. 2004. Globalization and marketization in education: A comparative analysis of Hong Kong and Singapore. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Keefe, B. 2007. “UNSW Singapore campus doomed to fail.” The Australian, June 27, 2. Available online at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au. Accessed 16 Apr 2015.

  • Redden, E. 2013. “Debasing the brand.” Inside Higher ED, January 16, 2013. Available online at: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/01/16/university-nevada-las-vegas-end-relationship-its-singaporean-partner. Accessed 17 Apr 2015.

  • Robert, C. 2015. “They fake it, but they can’t make it.” The New Paper, May 2, 2015, 2–3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlanger, Z. 2013. “Anatomy of a failed campus: What happened at Tisch Asia?” NYU Local, March 5, 2013. Available online at: http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2013/03/05/anatomy-of-a-failed-campus-what-happened-at-tisch-asia/. Accessed 16 Apr 2015.

  • Simon, S. 2012. “Yale under fire for new campus in restrictive Singapore.” December 29, 3. Available online at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/31/uk-usa-education-yale-singapore-idUSLNE8BU00D20121231. Accessed 17 Apr 2015.

  • Tan, J. 1997. Singapore. In Asian higher education: An international handbook and reference guide, eds. G.A. Postiglione and G.C.L. Mak. Westport: Greenwood.

    Google Scholar 

  • ——— 2004. Singapore: Small nation, big plans. In Asian Universities: Historical perspectives and contemporary challenges, eds. P.G. Altbach and T. Umakoshi. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • ——— 2010. Education in Singapore: Sorting them out? In Management of success: Singapore revisited, ed. T. Chong. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teng, A. 2014. “S’pore drops 12 places in ranking of cities for varsity students.” The Straits Times, November 25, 2014, B2.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education. 2007. “A miscalculated level of risk? UNSW Asia announces its unexpected closure.” The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education. Available online at: http://www.obhe.ac.uk. Accessed 16 Apr 2015.

  • The Straits Times. 1989. “Entry of Hongkongers won’t upset racial mix.” The Straits Times, August 21, 1989, 17.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2005. “Warwick U a step closer to opening branch here.” The Straits Times, October 29, 2005, A1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turnbull, C.M. 1989. A history of Singapore 1819–1988, 2nd edn. Singapore: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, H.E. 1978. Social engineering in Singapore: Educational policies and social change 1819–1972. Singapore: Singapore University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeo, A. and D. Ho. 2014. “Taking the stigma out of private tertiary education.” Today, September 26, 2014, 16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ziguras, C., and G. McBurnie. 2015. Governing cross-border higher education. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Policy and Leadership Studies, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Eng Thye Jason Tan

Authors
  1. Eng Thye Jason Tan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California, USA

    Christopher S. Collins

  2. The HEAD Foundation, Singapore, Singapore

    Molly N.N. Lee

  3. Education Department, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

    John N. Hawkins

  4. Education Department, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

    Deane E. Neubauer

Copyright information

© 2016 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Jason Tan, E.T. (2016). Singapore: A Small Nation with Big Dreams of Being a Global Schoolhouse. In: Collins, C., Lee, M., Hawkins, J., Neubauer, D. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Asia Pacific Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-48739-1_36

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-48739-1_36

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-48738-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-48739-1

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation