The Study Of Chinese Education In Singapore Since World War Two

Singapore is a modernized island country. It is a country of many nationalities, many cultures and many languages. Among the three million people in Singapore: Chinese stand at about 77% of the whole population, Malays at about 14%, Indian about 7%, and other nationalities (such as Asian-European Singaporean, European and Arab and so on) about 2%. In a multicultural country of mostly Chinese descendents, why did Singapore choose English as its first language on her road to modernization? Chinese language fell into the secondary language, what are the affecting elements to Chinese education? At the economical time of knowledge and under the circumstance of globalization, how should Singapore keep her Chinese culture by Chinese education? How should Singapore catch the large market in China? After reviewing the Chinese education, Singapore put forward the new policies of Chinese education and has been reforming Chinese education. What kind of problems and dilemma would Chinese education meet? What is the future of Chinese education in Singapore?This paper intends to give a detailed description of the history of Chinese education in Singapore and tries to analyze the affecting elements from the perspectives of politics, international relation, "Speaking Mandarin Campaign" and the Chinese Teachers' General of Singapore. It also tries to analyze the problems of Chinese education from the perspectives of pedagogy, nation, sociology and linguistics and discuss the prospect of Chinese education in Singapore. Bilingualism and the "Speaking Mandarin Campaign" build the foundation of Chinese education in Singapore. Chinese education reforms are promoting Chinese education. The Chinese Teachers' General of Singapore has been playing an important role for Chinese education. But on the basis of island location and the history of English colony together with the elements of democracy and the construction of nation, Singapore chose the Bilingualism of English first as the way to the modernization. Chinese language fell into the secondary language and met with dilemma. The market of china and the value of Chinese culture arouse the attention of Singapore government. We can still expect a bright future of Chinese education in Singapore.