Singapore

Singapore's educational system deserves recognition for its educational achievements. The society and the government are supremely aware of the small size of the state and what needs to be done particularly in education to establish and maintain a position of importance in a fast-developing world. The island nation has also attempted and succeeded to a large extent in making itself the "hub" of the Southeast Asian region in the fields of economy and education. In this, Singapore has made the use of computer technology almost universal in all its business establishments, government, and academic institutions at all levels: primary, secondary, and tertiary.

Singapore has a strong priority to business and industry. The academic institutions, particularly in the tertiary sector: universities, polytechnics, institutes of education and technical education, and the few research institutes are all aware of their need to cater to industry's needs in trained human resources as well as in R&D. Most of the educational facilities in Singapore have a highly trained faculty expertise reinforced periodically by visits and training programs abroad and through the establishment of academic ties with well-known institutions in Japan and the West, notably in the United Kingdom and the United States. The inadequacies of Singapore's educational system are a lack of sufficient incentive to its faculty in the form of advanced graduate programs and rewards to those who publish their research. The teaching and research staff at all levels is well paid and the infrastructure is well provided for efficient performance.

Singapore's immense success is based on an understanding of the needs and aspirations of its government, people, industry, and businesses. Its good fortune has been the consistently dynamic leadership provided by Lee Kuan Yew and the fairly smooth transition of power sharing since he stepped down from his position as Prime Minister.

A problem that remains to be solved is the political future of a system that has, so far, been based on the domination by a single party, the People's Action Party (PAP). It must be conceded, however, that there are more supporters than detractors of the system. The second area of concern has been the deterioration of Confucianism, particularly the relationship between generations from the impact of Westernization, which, in the eyes of the establishment, has been progressively weakening the moral fiber of the young. Even discounting the usual criticisms of the younger generation by the older generation, there is validity to this area of concern. The progression of Western influence could seriously affect Singapore's self-identity. The question is what the education system can do to reverse the trend of Westernization.