Education and the Nation State: The selected works of S. Gopinathan

by S. Gopinathan

In the World Library of Educationalists series, international experts themselves compile career-long collections of what they judge to be their finest pieces - extracts from books, key articles, salient research findings, major theoretical and practical contributions - so the world can read them in a single manageable volume. In a career spanning four decades, S. Gopinathan is considered by many to be a pillar of teacher education in Singapore. He has played a key role in the establishment and transformation of Singapore's education system, pioneering many programmes and advising on policy both nationally and internationally. In the process, he has contributed over 25 books (authored, co-authored and edited) and 115 articles and book chapters to the field, and continues to inspire and empower younger colleagues in the region to challenge the cause for excellence in education and education reform.

In Education and the Nation State, S. Gopinathan brings together 14 of his key writings in one volume. Starting with a specially written introduction, which gives an overview of Gopinathan's career and contextualises his selection, the essays are then arranged thematically, providing an overview not just of his own career, but also reflecting the development and key concerns of education in the nation state that is Singapore.

Genres: Education

249 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 11, 2012

Reviews

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

With many central themes of Singapore's education system captured in his academic writing, S. Gopinathan provides a holistic view of how the Singapore education came to be and the struggles that her founding fathers had to contend with especially with regards to education. Given Singapore's limited resources, education plays an especially important role in the process of nation building and this book brings to light the different agendas for the education system, the different expectations and plans for how it can shape the future of the nation, both economically and socially.

Reading at my current level, I am unable to appreciate the level of analysis and detail that is included in this book. Coming from a recreational reader's point of view, the depth of writing was something that I enjoyed yet struggled with at the same time. However, it is precisely because of this that I must revisit the themes that have been brought to light at some point in the future, for even though some of its content may be dated 10 years ago, the implications of their policies are still felt today and they have left their mark on the education system in Singapore in one way or another.

Being able to understand the different circumstances that led to the education system in Singapore that I know today has (hopefully) given me a better basis on which to form my opinions for the future of the education system and what it should aim to achieve. (using whatever sticks) At all levels in the teaching service (policy, curriculum, teaching), this understanding will allow us to better able to make reasonable and focused demands of what the education system should achieve and how it should achieve it.

Quotes:
Scholars and policy makers need to consider the adequacy of a Western model to the educational challenges faced by the East. A substantial change in pedagogic effectiveness has not occurred in several decades after the many curricular and pedagogic reforms initiated in many school systems. The central problematic in the reform of schooling and schooling practices in Eastern educational contexts is that we have failed to consider what would be appropriate, culturally relevant pedagogy for our classrooms, and how this pedagogy can be constructed. (...)
Teacher trainees therefore need to see instructional strategies not as ready-made answers to the challenges of teaching but more tentative and provisional; taking such a position will make them more prepared to be flexible, more ready to adjust to the circumstances they find themselves in, and less prone to blame their students for the failure of their 'best methods'. How well trainees internalize this knowledge is both a matter of content and of the pedagogy utilized by teacher trainers. (...)
It is argued that teaching is a culturally constructed activity, and in order for teaching to be more empowering it needs to be more culturally authentic.

[David Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant compilation of Professor Gopinathan's work in the field. The insights are invaluable for any nation that seeks to evolve its society through visionary leadership, courage and perseverance in the erecting of an education system to support moral and economic development and sustainability. The Singapore story is a marvel and a model. In just over a generation they were able to move from an essentially illiterate island country with virtually no natural resources to one of the wealthiest, most educated nations in the world. Gopinathan captures brilliantly the levers for such meteoric rise, with education as the means for development and sustainability of a society. A must read for anyone who is charged with the role of building a better future for a nation and its people -- or simply curious as to how it is done.