Singapore's Education System, Myth and Reality

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Does Singapore have a world-class education system? Its top rankings in the PISA and
TIMSS student achievement tests certainly suggest so. Such results and much foreign
praise have given Singapore a global reputation for education excellence. Many in the
education field believe Singapore provides an education model for the world. Others
would disagree.
Singapore’s Education System, Myth and Reality probes the city-state’s claims to
educational excellence. It questions the accuracy of the PISA and TIMSS tests and
considers how well Singapore’s elitist pressure-cooker education system serves the
national interest. How well does this system advance the country’s founding principles
of meritocracy and equality of opportunity? The book also compares the scholastic
performance of Singapore and Finland, another high-regarded education super-star. It
shows how both countries are pawns in a global contest between the corporate-driven
education reform movement and those who oppose it.
The book concludes by assessing Singapore’s Boston-of-the-East ambitions and its
strategy to become a world education hub by attracting foreign universities, academics
and students. Questions of academic freedom are considered. The controversial decision
by Yale to establish a college with the National University of Singapore is also discussed.