Language education policy - Singapore

Abstract

This chapter traces the history and developments of the language policy of Singapore over the years. Tracing the history of the education policy through the years since the founding of Singapore, it explains how the language policy has played an integral role in government initiatives for economic, social, and national development. It details that the policy of English-mother tongue bilingualism has helped maintain Singapore’s cultural and linguistic pluralism without hindering the construction of an overarching Singaporean identity or global competitiveness. Finally, discussing some of the policy responses to previous challenges, the chapter deliberates future dilemmas related to previous policy measures as well as migration driven demographic shifts.