新加坡作家黄孟文和他的微型小说

黄孟文是新加坡著名华文作家、新加坡作家协会会长、开放大学兼职教授。丰富的人生经历,为他的创作打下了坚实的基础。他的作品题材广泛,以亦庄亦谐、讽刺幽默的手法,深刻地批判了现代资本主义社会中的阴暗面,将华夏文学的神韵与西方文学的创作技法融为一体。     

When state centralism meets neo-liberalism: managing university governance change in Singapore and Malaysia

With strong intention to enhance the global competitiveness of their university systems, both the Singapore and Malaysia governments have introduced reforms along the lines of ideas and practices embedded in neo-liberalism. In the last decade or so, we have witnessed reforms being introduced to the higher education sectors in these Asian states, particularly when corporatization and incorporation strategies are adopted to transform national/public universities. With particular reference to how academics evaluate the impact of the reforms on their academic life, this article reports and analyses findings generated from campus visits and field interviews conducted in Singapore and Malaysia from 2007 to 2009. Although the senior management of corporatized/incorporated universities in these Asian states has been given more discretion to decide how to operate their universities, most of the front line academics that we interviewed have not experienced major differences in university governance after the reforms took place. Instead of feeling ‘emancipated’ and ‘empowered’, many academics feel more pressures and control from the university administration and government ministries. Despite the fact that both the Singapore and Malaysia governments have tried to embrace the ideas and practices of ‘neo-liberalism’ to transform university governance, academics still see the state’s reluctance in withdrawing from steering/controlling higher education development. Such observations clearly reflect the ‘clash’ of two major governance philosophies, namely, ‘state centralism’ and ‘neo-liberalism’. In short, this article critically examines how far the proposed university governance reforms by adopting the corporatization/incorporation strategies have actually transformed university management and academic life style in Singapore and Malaysia.     

An examination of school accountability from the perspective of Singapore school leaders

School accountability is such a familiar concept in many education systems that questions about what it actually means and entails are rather uncommon, especially to busy practitioners on the ground. This paper reports a research that examines each of the questions of what and to whom Singapore schools are accountable, from the point of practitioners holding leadership positions in Singapore schools. This research was a qualitative study with a sample of 36 vice-principals. This analysis was enriched and interpreted with a literature-based discussion, which pointed out the implications of the research findings. According to the findings, the participants felt that Singapore schools were accountable for students’ holistic development; site, funding and staff management; national survival and nation building; and humanity and the future. Singapore schools were accountable to students, parents, country and citizens, and themselves. Interestingly, for a system that was reputed for its academic achievement, none of the participants mentioned examination results directly but referred to the importance of holistic education. The findings also suggested an inseparability of the concepts ‘accountability’ and ‘responsibility’ in the participants’ minds.     

Private Supplementary Tutoring and Parentocracy in Singapore

Drawing on Brown (in Br J Sociol Educ 11(1):65–86, 1990) and Barrett DeWiele and Edgerton (in Interchange 47:189–210, 2016), this article explores the relationship between private supplementary tutoring and parentocracy using Singapore as an illustrative case study. It is argued that the ubiquity and affordability of private supplementary tutoring in Singapore indicate that parentocracy is embraced by the majority of parents who seek to give their children a competitive edge. Among the parents, better-educated parents with higher incomes adopt a more proactive interventionist parenting style by paying more for both academic and non-academic enrichment classes. The phenomenon of parentocracy has contributed to educational inequalities in Singapore as children from more privileged home backgrounds have access to more educational resources and opportunities. But the inequalities engendered by parentocracy are mitigated by high-stakes exams that ensure that admission to elite schools is still largely determined by exam results rather than the wealth and wishes of parents. This study offers a nuanced account of private supplementary tutoring through highlighting its diversity and appropriation by different parents in Singapore. The study also illustrates the co-existence of parentocracy and meritocracy where private supplementary tutoring is strategically utilised by parents in Singapore to give their children an equal opportunity to excel in terminal exams.     

Singapore Colloquial English and Standard English

Singapore English can be described as diglossic, that is, most of the proficient adult users of English in Singapore use two grammatically distinct varieties of English: (1) Singapore Colloquial English, which is used with close friends, to children, and informally in general and (2) Standard English, which is used in writing, in formal situations, and is associated with education. Singapore Colloquial English is informally learnt, while the teaching of Standard English is a primary responsibility of the school.

Students at the National University of Singapore, and especially those taking courses in the Department of English Language and Literature, can be expected to show the highest attainment levels in Standard English of those coming from the education system. The oral skills of these students are generally very good, both in comprehension and production. Their control of vocabulary is outstanding. While some students still have problems producing Standard English (especially in the area of tenses) most students make few grammatical errors. However, they do have problems with the organisation of material, report writing, and techniques of argumentation. Students also tend to write in a uniformly journalistic style, having little control over the use of different styles for different types of writing. Awareness of the functions of English in Singapore may help teachers to understand the importance of stylistic appropriacy.     

多元文化背景下新加坡道德教育的成功之道

新加坡用短短几十年的时问,建成一套富有成效的道德教育体系。该体系形成于新加坡多元文化的社会背景下,独具特色。其成功与符合国情的道德价值观、灵活多样的教育方法、“权威型”政治的保驾护航等密切相关。其成功的经验与启示,对我国加强和改进道德教育工作具有重要借鉴意义。     

Meritocracy in Singapore

Abstract

This article considers the role of meritocracy in the ruling ideology of Singapore. It argues that meritocracy, far from being a system for the management of scarce resources, is in fact the imposition of scarcity. It uses the example of the university in Singapore as the prime site for the production of meritocratic ideology and considers the consequences of meritocratic higher education as it articulates with meritocracy more generally in the Singapore polity.     

应对境外就业旅游管理专业实验课改革的几点探索——以商丘工学院旅游管理专业学生新加坡就业为例

新加坡是一个以服务业为经济龙头的国家,由于该国家政策和教育政策的优越性,越来越多的中国学生选择去新加坡留学,特别是旅游管理专业的学生认为新加坡管理发展学院(MDIS)、东亚管理学院(EASB)和PSB学院都是比较好的留学选择,学校不仅提供学生实习机会,还有一个行业领先的酒店模拟实践中心用于教学实践,真正做到让学生学有所用,理论切合实际。     

新加坡私立高等教育的特征与启示

新加坡私立高等教育与中国民办高等教育同起步于20世纪80年代,同样在经历了盲目扩张、缺乏规范的发展阶段后走向规范化、高质化。新加坡私立高等教育的认证化管理、国际化办学、职业化与应用化的核心课程理念以及其营利性的本质属性促成了其良性发展,其政府对人才培养的重视及高效的政府管理水平保障了新加坡私立高等教育的特色发展,国家经济发展的需求为其提供了不竭的动力,全球教育产业的兴起也是其发展的契机。新加坡私立高等教育发展对中国民办高等教育的启示有:基于组织混合性的私立高等教育管理方式;卓有成效的国际化深层建构;以教育信托认证制度为核心的质量保障体系;动态应用型课程的开发。     

新加坡人民行动党执政的社会生态研究

人民行动党自身的成功和对新加坡治理的成功，原因就在于它适应了新加坡的社会生态环境。与其他政党的执政环境相比，人民行动党与其执政环境的关系又显现出了执政环境的相对性与被动性，即作为现代新加坡的缔造者，人民行动党的执政环境在相当程度上是由人民行动党自己创设的，所以，人民行动党与其执政环境之问就较少地存在不和谐因素。人民行动党通过议会选举来取得在议会中的多数席位，其首领被任命为政府首脑，几乎垄断了新加坡所有的政治、经济和文化资源。人民行动党执政以后，致力于新加坡的经济发展，经过40多年的发展，已经取得了举世瞩目的成就，为人民行动党执政提供了良好的经济环境。人民行动党在执政之后面临着复杂的社会环境。不管是夺取和维持执政地位，还是推行自己的政策，达到执政目标，都必须考虑到这些因素。对于新加坡而言，其自然生态是其政党制度形成与维持的基本物质条件之一，其独特的自然生态也是人民行动党执政的一个最具现实作用的基础。虽然新加坡是一个合法的独立国家，而且繁荣昌盛，同时却仍然十分脆弱，不大能够自由行事，不管是地区范围的国际环境，还是全球范围的国际环境，都对人民行动党的执政产生了巨大影响。     

新加坡国立大学本科教育教学管理及启示

新加坡国立大学成立于1905年,是新加坡历史悠久且颇具声望的一所大学,该校的愿景明确,即＂致力于成为一所立足亚洲、影响未来的世界级顶尖大学＂。本文着重介绍了新加坡国立大学的本科课程体系与学位设计、＂以学生为中心＂的教学理念、＂三轨制＂的考核体系、英才计划等本科教育教学理念和管理模式,并探讨了其带给国内高校的一些启示。     

新加坡与智利老年社会保障之比较

对世界上实行完全个人帐户制度较为成功的新加坡,智利两国的老年社会保险进行比较,分析了两者在具体实施过程中,在制度的统一性、资金筹集、运营、退休金给付方式和管理等方面存在着诸多不同;以及两者在实施效果上,如减轻政府财政压力、促进经济发展和受到国际舆论关注等方面又有许多相同之处,同为发展中国家,中国在建设与社会主义市场经济相适应的社会保障制度时,新、智两国的成功经验,有重要的借鉴意义。     

Finland and Singapore in PISA 2009: similarities and differences in achievements and school management

In PISA 2009, Finland and Singapore were both ranked high among the participating nations and have caught much attention internationally. However, a secondary analysis of the means for Reading achievement show that the differences are rather small and are attributable to spurious precision. Hence, the two nations should be considered as being on par with each other in achievements and be assigned the same rank. Spurious precision as a problem of interpreting and reporting research findings has caught the attention of researchers in several other disciplines, though not in the field of education, and this needs to be rectified. In spite of the finding of no differences in PISA Reading achievement, principals in Finland and Singapore differ somewhat in school management and involvement in school matters. It is suggested that some intervening variables (e.g., teachers’ quality and instruction) are needed to explain the correlation (or the lack of it) between principals’ management styles and student Reading achievement. It is also suggested that school principals’ management styles might have been influenced by the cultural milieus of the countries and have influenced students’ social-emotional development, which is not measured by PISA.     

World Class Schools: International Perspectives on School Effectiveness

The lesson learned from a Singapore school improvement programme, which has been running for more than a decade, is that partners collaborating in the programme need to sustain their efforts over a long period of time in order to reap the benefits. The programme incorporates a mentor‐protege relationship to bridge the twin benefits of management education and systemic change. The Singapore experience suggests that research in the local setting is needed for further development of the programme, and that systemic change is obtainable from cumulative effect of the programme. On both counts, time is needed for the programme to reap the benefits.     

形象学视野下的香港文学和新加坡华文文学——“中国形象”对读之三

西方人眼中的中国形象是西方意识形态和西方文化话语的产物,20世纪西方的中国想象在明暗之间摇摆。在此影响下,处于东西方文化交汇点的香港和新加坡通过文学建构了20世纪后半叶的嬗变中国的形象：封闭愚昧、贫穷落后。前者浓墨重彩,后者温和理性,但均在意识形态化的否定中传达出强烈的亲善和认同的情感。     

Distributed Leadership for ICT Reform in Singapore

This study examines distributed leadership in Information Communication Technology reform in a government school in Singapore. The study adopts a naturalistic inquiry approach, drawing upon a case study of the aforementioned school for much of its data. The study found that leadership for Information Communication Technology reform is distributed according to functions of transformational leadership, instructional leadership, emotional leadership, and the strategic management of resources. The key enabling factors are an official leadership position, access to expertise, support by senior management, and interpersonal synergies among the leaders. Senior management consistently performs transformational leadership, whereas middle management generally performs instructional leadership. Both senior and middle management provide emotional leadership.     

新加坡公职人员薪酬制度及其对我国的启示

公共机构如何吸引和留住有能力的人才为公众服务？这是任何一个有效的好政府需要解决的首要问题新加坡的“高薪养贤,厚禄养廉”的公职人员薪酬制度,是新加坡克服困难、发展繁荣的重要保障新加坡公职人员薪酬制度对中国高级领导干部薪酬福利制度改革具有重要的启发：政府应坦诚地面对人性假设;积极推进公共部门薪酬制度改革;借鉴薪酬管理中的水平平衡比较机制;离退休人员的离退休费应与公务人员薪酬相分离。     

A review of twenty-first century higher education

This article is predominantly concerned with the global challenges associated with managing an academic workforce in an era characterised by increased demand for higher education. In scrutinising global trends in higher education and academic workforce management, the article will address two research questions. First, what are the global trends that most affect education in the twenty-first century? Second, what are the transformations that have taken place in the academic workforce amid these trends? Last, the article calls for a need for researchers to profoundly explore the management of the academic workforce cross-nationally between developed and developing economies, with a particular focus on Australia, Malaysia and Singapore.     

Perform or else: the performative enhancement of teacher professionalism

The Singapore Ministry of Education's Enhanced Performance Management System (EPMS) was instituted in 2005 as a system of professional accountability to enhance the standards and stakes of teacher professionalism in schools. This essay explores how the EPMS, with its underlying paradigm of performance management, functions as a “technology of discipline” within the political economy of teacher professionalization in Singapore. The analysis centres on the discursive mechanisms of a standardized appraisal instrument known as the Work Review Form. Applying speech act theory via the insights of J.L. Austin and J. Butler, I argue that teachers' professional qualities are not only described and prescribed but also produced by the appraisal protocols of the EPMS – a process contingent on the discursive performativity of the Work Review Form. Implicated in this notion of performativity are the rhetorical manoeuvres by which teachers perform “on paper” under the pressure to perform. Such performance pressures point to a range of ethical ambiguities surrounding the “enhanced management” of teachers' work under the profit-motive of performance excellence.     

新加坡种族关系的和谐及其对我国学习型社会建设的启示

学习型组织理论是当代重要的管理理论。新加坡是将学习型组织理论应用于国家管理方面的典型。他们成功处理种族关系的实践,使种族和谐,人民安居乐业,国家稳定发展,体现了学习型组织理论的要求。这启示我们,在我国统一多民族国家,致力于学习型社会建设,处理好民族关系问题,是社会主义和谐社会最终实现的重要保障。