CATHOLIC MISSION SCHOOLS AND SECULAR EDUCATION: MAINTAINING THE CATHOLIC ETHOS

Abstract

The introduction of the Ministry of Education (MOE) in 1955 was a turning point in Singapore’s educational sector. Many reforms and policies were made to establish the independent government’s goals of nation-building. After colonial rule, a centralised system of national education was created and implemented in all government schools in Singapore. The MOE emphasised heavily on the production of academic excellence and strict moral education, for future contribution to the nation’s economy. Changes in school curriculum were made, placing focus on secular subjects and helming of technical skills in students. This study looks into how these changes has affected specifically: the Catholic mission schools. Due to the efforts of Fr. Beurel, Catholic mission schools flourished and expanded all around Singapore since 1852. A unique trait of these mission schools is the practice of Catholic traditions, and the formation of the Catholic ethos. However, the entrance of an independent secular government in Singapore placed these mission schools in a complicated relationship, having to sacrifice their traditional Catholic practices, in place of the new national curriculum. Since the gradual loss of autonomy in their curriculum, Catholic mission schools have to navigate their path in finding a method to uphold their Catholic ethos, in the midst of the secular society.