TTLA: The Republic of Singapore's multicultural policy in the areas of religion, language, and education.

Author's name:Nguyen Thi Nhu

Thesis title:The Republic of Singapore's multicultural policy in the areas of religion, language, and education.

The field of study for this dissertation:

Major: Southeast Asian Studies Code: 62 31 06 10

Name of postgraduate training unit: University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi

1. Purpose and scope of the thesis

* Research objectives:This thesis systematically presents the formation and development of Singapore's multicultural policy through various historical periods in terms of religion, language, and education. Through this, it clarifies the impact and influence of multicultural policy on Singapore's development.

* Research subjectsThe Singaporean government's multicultural policies in terms of religion, language, and education address the following key issues: the initiator, the main target group, the implementation process, the effectiveness, and the challenges posed by the policies.

2. Research methods used

To develop this dissertation, the doctoral candidate used the following research methods:

ButInterdisciplinary approach: Through this method, Singapore's overall multicultural policy is approached and examined from multiple perspectives across various fields, specifically religion, language, and education, as defined in this thesis.

- Synthesis and analysis method: Singapore's multicultural policy has undergone a relatively long and turbulent process. Using this method, we can synthesize the policy implementation process from various aspects, and then analyze and interpret it to find commonalities through the particulars, essence through phenomena, and universality through specifics, thereby understanding the nature, characteristics, and role of Singapore's multicultural policy.

- Inductive and deductive method: Singapore's socio-cultural landscape is diverse and complex, so multicultural policies applied to specific areas such as religion, language, and education require a deep understanding of the relationship between essence and appearance. Applying this method helps to link individual, independent phenomena to uncover the essence of the research subject, identifying and explaining the theoretical and practical foundations governing Singaporean government policies in the areas covered by this thesis.

3. Main results and conclusions

3.1 Main Results

- Explain the basis for Singapore's multicultural policy in the areas of religion, language, and education.

ButThis study systematizes some of Singapore's multicultural policies from its independence to the present day, relating to religion, language, and education.

ButThis study analyzes the content and factors influencing Singapore's multicultural policy, demonstrating its origins, solutions, implementation methods, effectiveness, and impact from its inception to the present day.

ButBy systematically analyzing Singapore's multicultural policies, useful lessons and suggestions can be drawn for building, innovating, and planning Vietnam's current cultural policies.

3.2 Conclusion

- The firstSingapore's multicultural policy began to take shape because Singapore's multicultural nature predates its independence and the establishment of its nation-state.NThis can also be traced back to a British proposal to the Union of Malaysia in 1945-1946, aimed at preparing the peninsula for separation from the colony without jeopardizing British economic interests after independence. On the other hand, following numerous riots by citizens protesting against the colonial government to protect their rights and community status, the Historical Education Committee convened in 1955 officially recognized Singapore as a multi-ethnic society and implemented the principle of multicultural education by treating all four language families—Melayu, Chinese, English, and Tamil—equally, laying the foundation for a multicultural institution in Singapore. Based on this, after independence, the Singaporean government established and institutionalized the multicultural theory as a guiding principle for governance and management of ethnic relations in Singapore, continuing to maintain, refine, and develop it to this day.

- MondayResearch into Singapore's multicultural policy in terms of religion, language, and education reveals that Singapore has a legal framework that ensures the thorough implementation of multicultural policies and institutionalizes these policies through specific rights for each community. This is considered a key difference, demonstrating Singapore's decisive approach to implementing its multicultural policy compared to many other countries currently practicing multiculturalism, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.

- TuesdayWith the legal framework and institutionalization of the aforementioned multicultural policies, no development in Singapore can be anticipated or recorded without the impact of government policies. The practice of multiculturalism has allowed the Singaporean government to immediately resolve internal conflicts within the country, from those arising during the early days of independence to those that emerged during the process of construction and development. From a social theory perspective, multiculturalism has played a crucial role in Singapore's remarkable development.

- WednesdayHowever, multicultural policies cannot adequately address all issues, and therefore Singapore still faces certain challenges as pointed out in the assessment of Chapter 4. In particular, the state's recognition of four main ethnic groups implies that these groups possess fully developed institutions, potentially leading to social fragmentation, even without the specific geographical divisions seen in colonial Singapore. This necessitates continuous efforts by the government to refine policies to better suit societal needs, for a multicultural and cohesive Singapore.

- ThursdayThe success of implementing multicultural policies in Singapore is a result of a harmonious combination of many factors. However, this remarkable success can also be explained by the fact that Singapore's multicultural policies are applied to a country with a unique geographical size: an island nation consisting of one large island and more than 60 smaller islands with a total area of ​​only about 719 square kilometers.²Therefore, the implementation, deployment, and management of policies down to the community and individual population will be more mandatory, easier to apply, and more decisive. Policies will thus quickly yield results or reveal shortcomings, allowing the government to promptly learn from experience and supplement or modify policies accordingly.

- FridayAll core multicultural policies in the areas of religion, language, and education were fundamentally developed and implemented by Singapore from the early years of its independence. Therefore, the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew – Singapore's first Prime Minister – played a particularly important personal role and left a significant mark on these policies.

- FinalWith the basic content outlined above, the thesisThe multicultural policy of the Republic of Singapore in terms of religion, language and educationThere are some new contributions.From an academic perspective,This dissertation is the first scientific work in Vietnam to study Singapore's multicultural policy, focusing on three aspects: religion, language, and education. It contributes to supplementing the system of academic research and teaching materials on Southeast Asia, cultural policy in general, and Singapore in particular.In terms of methodologyThis thesis successfully employs an interdisciplinary approach when studying Singapore's multicultural policy in specific areas. It affirms that the interdisciplinary approach is a particularly necessary and effective tool in contemporary cultural research.In practical termsThe thesis can offer suggestions for building, innovating, and formulating Vietnam's current cultural policies, especially in the fields of religion and education; strengthening relations and promoting mutual understanding between Vietnam and Singapore in particular, and Vietnam with the Southeast Asian region in general.

SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS

The author's name:Nguyen Thi Nhu           

Thesis title:Multicultural Policy of the Republic of Singapore in the fields of religions, languages ​​and education

Scientific branch of the thesis:

Major: Southeast Asian Studies Code: 62 31 06 10

The name of postgraduate training institution: Faculty of Oriental Studies - VNU, University of Social Sciences and Humanities

1. Thesis purpose and objectives

* Purpose of the study: The thesis was conducted to scientifically present the process of forming and developing Singapore's multicultural policy through historical, religious, linguistic and educational periods. This explains the impact of multiculturalism on the development of Singapore.

Research Objectives: The religious, linguistic and educational policies of the Singapore Government are multidisciplinary with the following key issues: initiators, main policy beneficiaries, implementation process, effectiveness and policy issues.

2. Research methods

To implement the thesis, the researcher uses the following research methods:

- Interdisciplinary Approach: Through this approach, Singapore's overall multicultural policy is approached and explored from various perspectives the different fields that the thesis sets out, specifically, religions, languages ​​and education.

ButSynthesis and theoretical analysis: Singapore's multicultural policy goes through a process of ups and downs and a relatively long aim. Using this method,, we can synthesize the process of implementing the policy in different aspects, from which we analyze, the explanation to pass through the private find the general, through the phenomenon of discovery through the peculiarities to find out the universality, the nature, characteristics and role of multiculturalism policy of Singapore.

ButInductive and interpretive methods: Singapore's social culture is very diverse and complex, so multicultural policies apply to the policies in specific areas of religion, language and education that require deepening the relationship between nature and phenomena. Using this method helps to link individual, independent phenomena to find out the nature of the object, to identify and explain the theoretical and practical bases that govern the policies of the Singapore government in the fields of the thesis.

3, Major results and conclusions

3.1.The major results

- Explaining the foundation of Singapore's multicultural policy in the fields of religions, languages ​​and education.

- To systemize some of Singapore's multicultural policies since the independence in relation to religions, languages ​​and education.

- Analysis of the content and factors that govern the multiculturalism of Singapore, demonstrating the origin, solution, implementation, effectiveness and influence of Singapore's multicultural policy from its inception today.

- Through the system and analysis of Singapore's multicultural policies, it is possible to provide useful reference lessons and suggestions for the development, renewal and cultural policy making of Vietnam from now on.

3.2. Conclusion

man, Singapore's multicultural policy was shaped by the multicultural nature of Singapore, which emerged from independence and the establishment of a national state. It could also be traced back to a British proposal to the Malaysian Alliance in the period 1945-1946, in preparation for the island's removal from the colonies without implicating Britain's economic interests and independence. On the other hand, after many of the riots of the people reacting to the colonial government in seeking to protect their rights and the position of their community in society, the Committee for Historical Education was convened in 1955, the parties officially recognized Singapore as a multi-ethnic society and implemented the principle of multicultural education by treating equality with all four language lines in education: Melayu, Chinese, English and Tamil, laying the foundation for multiculturalism in Singapore. On that basis, after independence, the Singapore government established and institutionalized multiculturalism as the guiding principle of governance and the management of ethnic relations in Singapore, and continued to improve and develop until now.

- External, the study of Singapore's multicultural policy in terms of religions, languages ​​and education shows that Singapore has a legal framework to ensure that multiculturalism is thoroughly practiced and institutionalized. These policies go through the specific rights of specific communities. This is considered a difference in the implementation of multiculturalism in Singapore compared to many countries currently practicing multicultural policies such as USA, UK, Australia and Canada.

ButFourth, with the legal framework and institutionalization of the above-mentioned multicultural policies, none of the developments in Singapore are planned and documented without these influences of government policies. The practice of multiculturalism has allowed the Singaporean government to immediately resolve the country's internal conflicts in the early days of independence to the contradictions that have arisen in the process of building and developing. From the perspective of a social theory, multiculturalism has made an important contribution to the rapid development of Singapore.

Fourthly, multiculturalism is not adequately able to address all issues, so Singapore is still facing certain challenges as pointed out in the evaluation of Chapter 4. In particular, the recognition of four ethnic groups by the state means that these groups have complete institutional perfection, which is easy to fragment in society, although there is no division within the population, especially, geographically specific areas as it was during the colonial Singapore period. This requires continuous efforts by the government to complete the policies in line with the requirements of society, for a multicultural and cohesive Singapore.

- Successful implementation of multiculturalism in Singapore is a coherent combination of factors. However, it can also be said that Singapore's multicultural policies have been applied to a land-specific country, a large island nation and more than 60 smaller islands with a total area of ​​only 719 km2. Therefore, the implementation and management, policies to each community, each group of the population will be forced to implemen, easier and more drastic. Thus, the policies quickly and effectively or reveal inadequacies, so that governments can draw on experience, add or modify policies accordingly.

ButSixthly, all major multicultural policies in the field of religions, languages ​​and education are all fundamentally built by Singapore from the early years of independence. As such, the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister, has a personal and significant role to play in these policies.

ButFinally,with the basic contents of the above, the "Multicultural Policy thesis of the Republic of Singapore in terms of religion, language and education" has a number of new contributions. In terms of scholarship, the thesis is the first scientific research in Vietnam to study the multicultural policy of Singapore focusing on three aspects of religion, language and education, contributing to the financial system and academic research, teaching in Southeast Asia, cultural policy in general and Singapore in particular… In terms of methodology, the thesis successfully uses the interdisciplinary approach when studying multiculturalism in Singapore in specific areas. Through this, the interdisciplinary approach is a special, necessary and effective tool in the study of culture today. In practical terms, the thesis may provide suggestions for the development, renovation and cultural policy making of Vietnam at present, especially in the fields of religion and education which strengthens the relationship and promotes mutual understanding between Vietnam - Singapore in particular and Vietnam with Southeast Asia in general.