GREAT EXPECTATIONS: PARENTAL PERCEPTIONS OF (IN) EGALITARIAN EDUCATION POLICIES IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Inspired by Charles Dickens’ novel, Great Expectations (1860), this thesis examines parents’ expectations of current education policies in Singapore. The main policies that I will discuss are (1) those pertaining to early streaming and segregation, such as the GEP, the PSLE and current academic streams in secondary schools, as well as (2) the policies associated with primary school entry priorities that include alumni relations and parent volunteerism. I explore why parents have different perceptions towards these education policies that have exacerbated educational inequality. Then, I discuss how they justify their practices within the field of education in Singapore. Like Dickens’ protagonist who aspires to become a gentleman and gain upward mobility, many parents conceptualise education as the legitimate means for occupational mobility. However, some parents have questioned current policies for their potential ineffectiveness in preparing their children for work in the future. Additionally, similar to Dickens’ novel that is critical of the upper class in protecting and reproducing their advantages, parents also hold expectations that policies should be fair and grant the equality of opportunity. While they do not necessarily abide by this egalitarian conception of justice, it suggests that the equality of opportunity seems to be a normative standard expected of Singapore’s education. Nonetheless, I also elaborate on the significance of parents’ self-interested practices, despite their awareness of this normative standard, and suggest that parents are enabled with agency only within the constraints and rules of the education system.