ARE SAP SCHOOLS METONYMS FOR CHINESE PRIVILEGE? POPULAR DISCOURSE VS INSIDER PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

As the question of Chinese privilege grows increasingly controversial in Singapore, Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools have become scrutinised as lightning rods for Chinese privilege in the eyes of the critical public. However, most discussion on the link between Chinese privilege and SAP schools has occurred in social media, rather than in academic scholarship. Having identified this gap, my study of my former SAP schoolmates from Nanyang Girls’ High School (NYGH) aims to provide an insider’s perspective on the link between Chinese privilege and SAP schools. By examining the lived experience of former SAP students through public criticism, I attempt to paint a picture of how SAP students experience their privilege, if at all. Using Bourdieu’s theory of practice, I map out the processes through which Chinese dominance is sustained through SAP schools. The original aims of SAP were to inculcate students with Chinese cultural capital and a habitus of bicultural and bilingual leaders; however, I suggest that these aims were not sufficiently achieved through the experiences of my cohort. Instead, I posit that SAP schools are able to sustain their legacy through the rich social capital that can be found within their exclusive social networks.