LANGUAGE, EDUCATION AND SINGAPORE NATIONAL IDENTITY

Abstract

The theory that language is more than a tool of communication but a key to unlocking cultural codes makes it an important tool of social engineering. In the case of Singapore, a creative and well-planned system of language policies was seen as an effective way of maintaining the multicultural and multilingual social environment of the country. This body of work aims to trace the changes and continuities in the language policies of Singapore from independence till 1999 and the reasons for them. It will also analyse the effects of various language policies, including that of bilingualism in schools and the Special Assistance Plan to better understand multiculturalism in Singapore. Finally, there is a discussion on what is a Singapore 'national identity' and whether efforts are being made to reformulate that identity to extend beyond the discourse of ethnic politics to arrive at a more holistic approach.