The Confucian Ethics Curriculum in Singapore

Abstract

In Singapore, the Confucian Ethics Curriculum was introduced between 1984 and 1992 as an elective subject of the moral education curriculum for secondary three and four students. The Singapore government put the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore (“the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore”, hereinafter referred to as “CDIS”) under the Ministry of Education in charge of developing a set of textbooks called Confucian Ethics and training teachers to teach them in schools. The textbooks were used in all secondary schools nationwide to fulfill the objective of teaching Confucianism. The attempt of systematic introduction of Confucianism to students as young as 15 or 16 years old through a formal curriculum in the public education system by the state is probably rare even in current Chinese societies, not to mention that the project was implemented nearly 40 years ago. The introduction of this curriculum in Singapore is of some significance for the preservation and promotion of Confucianism. This paper examines the Chinese textbooks of the curriculum in terms of background, objectives, systems, content, characteristics, and inspiration for future generations.