Knowledge-Based economy - Rising challenges of the global schoolhouse project in Singapore

Abstract

This article analyses the development of the education hub in Singapore. The world-wide migration of professionals and talented students had started many centuries ago and was further bolstered by globalization. Singapore intends to take a leading role in creating a knowledge-based economy. Consequently, the government has great ambitions to build not only research centers but also a world-class university environment, an education hub. The first part of the article seeks to describe the factors that facilitated the establishment of the education hub and the Global Schoolhouse project in Singapore. The second part identifies the challenges and problems of this project, while the third part proposes solutions to these problems. Although some of the solutions may refer to policies implemented in other countries, the article maintains a focus on the unique problems of Singapore.

Comparison of Economic and Education Development in Singapore and South Korea

“…The government of the city-state has to find the way to reassure the nation through more transparency that easing of rules is necessary. Mandatory language and culture programmes for long-staying foreigners in order to obtain permanent residency with limitations might become the solution to mitigate the recent rise of xenophobia (Csizmazia, 2016). From the beginning Korea could rely on its own human resource as the fertility rate was high, but was forced to embrace immigration policies to attract mainly low skilled workers from the 1990s.…”

Singapore and Korea Towards Creative Economy in 21st Century: Comparative Analysis of Higher Education in Singapore and South Korea

“…They recently have accelerated decentralization approaches and deregulations in public services with the aim also to discover alternative financial sources. Singapore's desire to become 'Boston of the East' from 2000 (MOE, 2000;Mok, 2003Mok, & 2006Sidhu & Yeoh, 2011;Basillote et al, 2016), her headquarter strategy and her drive for a knowledge-based economy require the steps to attract talents from all over the world and to strive for a large share of global education market through her renowned Global Schoolhouse project (Shin, 2014;Csizmazia, 2016). The Global Schoolhouse project is a long-term dynamic strategic plan to raise quality of education in Singapore and to facilitate universities to compete with established world class universities.…”