Page 21 - Education Change and Economic Development: The Case of Singapore Dr. Goh Chor Boon National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University

Education Change and Economic Development: The Case of Singaporec81

emphasis on values. This is one feature which distinguishes Singapore’s

education from many others. As the Singapore economy moved into the
technology-intensive phase of its economic development in the 1990s, there was
an urgent need to create a mindset shift of Singaporeans towards developing

values and attitudes that could sustain Singapore’s trajectory into becoming a
developed nation. Lee Kuan Yew himself acknowledged that changing mindset
is not easy: “The difficult part was getting people to change their habits so

that they behaved more like first world citizens, not like third world citizens
26
spitting and littering all over the place”. Education is again seen as the crucial
channel to achieve this outcome. The student-centric, values-driven education
puts character development and values at the core of the education system.

Schools’ National Education (similar to Citizenship Education) programmes
which aims to imbue students with the skills, values and attributes - innovative

and enterprising, life-long learning habit and commitment to community
and the state - for nation-building were actively infused into the formal and
informal school curriculum. There is a shared belief across Singapore society
that education is crucial in building up individual and collective capacity, and in

strengthening the cohesiveness of the nation beyond knowledge and skills.

Conclusion

Growth theorists, economic historians and development economists
consistently argue that the sustained growth of the East Asian economies stem

from several inter-related key factors – substantial investment in infrastructure,
an efficient absorption and adaptation of advanced technology, a stable social

26 Interview in New York Times, 24 August 2007