h,r 1. Edrrcorronal Dewlopn,rr,r. Vol. 13. No. 3. pp. 239-251. 1993 Printed in Great Britam 0738-0593193 WOO+ .oO Pcrgamon Press Ltd INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS IN SINGAPORE: IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITIES JASON TAN Department of Education, University of Hong Kong zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWV Abstract-The independent schools scheme which was introduced in Singapore in 1987 represents a new phase in private schooling there. The government has relaxed its control of all schools and has allowed certain schools to turn independent. These schools enjoy autonomy in staff deployment and salaries, finance, management and curriculum, while continuing to enjoy substantial government financial support. This article examines the background to the establishment of the independent schools, and their organizational framework. It argues that the scheme reinforces social and educational inequalities. The discussion adds to the existing literature on the role of government in initiating school privatization policies, and on the relationship between private schools and social and educational inequalities. INTRODUCTION Private schooling in Singapore has entered a new phase with the introduction of inde- pendent schools. This article’ examines the development of the independent schools scheme, and the implications of this scheme for educational inequalities. Firstly, the issue of privatization of schools is viewed in a comparative perspective. A brief description of the nature of educational inequalities in Singapore is then given. Next, the background of events leading up to the introduction of the independent schools scheme is described, followed by an examination of some key features of the operational set-up in inde- pendent schools that impinge directly on educational inequalities. It is argued that the independent schools scheme exacerbates disparities between schools in terms of educational outcomes. It also reinforces disparities in educational outcomes between students from different socio-eco- nomic backgrounds. The discussion adds to the existing literature on governmental involve- ment in, and the underlying philosophy of school privatization efforts, and the relation- ship between private schooling and social and educational inequalities. Specially interesting in the Singapore case is that while educational privatization efforts in such countries as the U.S.A. and the U.K. have been largely motivated by economic recession, similar efforts in Singapore are taking place against the backdrop of steady government surpluses. SCHOOL PRIVATIZATION - A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE Education has come to be viewed in many nations as an economically and socially produc- tive investment in human capital (Fagerlind and Saha, 1989; Psacharopoulos et al., 1986). Consequently, public educational budgets increased dramatically from 1960 to 1975 in both the industrially advanced and developing nations (Coombs, 1985). However, adverse economic conditions and competition from other sectors for public funds have caused a global slow-down in the rate of growth of government expenditure on education. This has been aggravated by the tendency for educational costs per student to keep rising, without any concomitant improvements in productivity or educational quality. One way to tackle this problem is to shift more of the cost of educational provision to the users by increasing the privatization of educa- tion (Edwards er al., 1985; Psacharopoulos ef al., 1986; Jimenez, 1987; Lewin, 1987). The meaning of privatization in the current literature is not always clear. For instance, James (1984, p. 605) sees privatization as ‘a government policy . . . which combines public financing with private production of the service’. However, she later (1988, p. 98) notes 239