Towards an Education for Active Citizenship in Singapore

Abstract

Citizenship education, in its various forms, has always been given prominence in Singapore’s education since its self-governance in 1959. In recent years, the Singapore government has increasingly drawn on notions of “active citizenship” in educational policies. This chapter examines this recent pursuit of active citizenship by the Singapore government, particularly since 2011 which marked the “student-centric, values-driven” phase in Singapore’s ongoing journey of educational transformation. This pursuit is analyzed against literature on active citizenship and in consideration of Singapore’s social, political, and economic context. As a result, three contradictions are identified in the conceptions of active citizenship as articulated in Singapore’s educational policies and programs in Singapore. The chapter concludes with three recommendations to harmonize these contradictions in order to advance towards educating young Singaporeans as active citizens.