Globalization and education reforms in Hong Kong and Singapore

Abstract

Synthesizing the contexts and contents of education reforms in Hong Kong and Singapore, this chapter examines and compares how these two city-states education systems have been reformed over the first decade of the twenty-first century. It argues that the strength of state power is critical to determine whether the education reforms can be implemented effectively. The more trustful the government is, the more effective the education reforms are. The trustworthiness of the government is closely related to whether it is endowed with strong political legitimacy, which is also attributed to strong state power. State power, political legitimacy and governance effectiveness, which are interrelated with each other, are highly critical in affecting how education reforms are approached, how far they are supported by stakeholders, including educational practitioners, and the general public in society and in turn the overall effectiveness of education reforms. This chapter has four sections. In the first place, the politico-socioeconomic contexts facing Hong Kong and Singapore in carrying out the education reforms from the end of the 1990s are reviewed. Then it turns to examine both policy principles and major education reform initiatives in the two city-states. This is followed by a comparison to be presented in the penultimate section, in which the reasons accounting for similarities and differences found in the two city-states education reforms are discussed. The final section concludes the discussion.