The British were granted the right to set up a trading post in Singapore on 6 Feb 1819, before eventually gaining full control over Singapore and the surrounding islands through subsequent agreements with the Sultan of Johor and Temenggong. For the next 130 years, there was no large-scale provision of education opportunities for local children. The Chinese-language education system in Singapore rapidly developed in the first half of the 20th century, largely pushed by uneven education policies of the colonial government during that period.

By 1941, the island’s population had reached 769,216 people, of whom 599,659 were Chinese.1 Even so, the colonial government had not established a single Chinese-language school in the region — the Chinese schools that existed had been set up by clan associations and members of the community.

By 1949, apart from Malay-language schools, there were 16 purely government-run schools, which taught in English, and 19 non-government English-language schools that received government subsidies. These 35 schools supported by government funding provided educational opportunities to around 32,000 children. However, there were more than 100,000 school-aged children in Singapore at the time. Many children who could not get a place in government schools or government-aided schools could possibly be deprived of education.

For the above reasons, in 1949, 71,000 school-aged children of Chinese descent had to enrol in one of the 319 community-run Chinese schools in order to receive an education.2

Support from the Chinese community

Since their inception, Chinese schools in Singapore have been established and funded by the Chinese community. Some of the schools were established by clans and locality or dialect organisations such as guilds and associations, some were founded by respected individuals and local figures, and others were run by religious groups such as churches. Most Chinese schools were predominantly non-profit organisations, and their operations were often managed by a board of council members.

Chinese schools, which had low fees, enabled all children to receive an education regardless of their social status. Additionally, because these schools were widespread in Singapore, children of labourers living in busy urban areas, as well as children of farmers living in the impoverished countryside, could attend a Chinese-language school nearby that was accessible and affordable. There, they received a relatively standardised education, a stepping stone that enabled them to shape their own destinies. Chinese schools filled the gaps left by government policies.

Chongfu Girls’ School in 1930, the school was established by Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan. Tan Kah Kee Memorial Museum Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.
Students attending a lesson in a Chinese school, 1950. Lee Dai Soh Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

All language-stream schools to receive government subsidies

After the 1955 Singapore Legislative Assembly Election, an elected government was established. In February the following year, the newly appointed Labour Front government produced the Report of the All-Party Committee of the Singapore Legislative Assembly on Chinese Education, stating the views of the different political parties on Chinese-language education. In March, they produced an Education Policy White Paper, stating that from then on, the Chinese, English, Tamil and Malay language streams would all be treated equally. In 1956, the government began to establish government-funded Chinese-language primary and secondary schools. By 1957, this policy had been implemented, with all language-stream schools fully subsidised by the government.

During that period, almost all of Singapore’s Chinese-language community-run schools expressed acceptance of this policy, and started receiving comprehensive funding from the government. As a result, these community-run Chinese-language schools became known as government-aided schools. By 1961, there were 228 Chinese-language primary schools and 28 Chinese-language secondary schools.3This network of 256 institutions, comprising government-aided schools and government-run schools, formed the foundation of the Chinese-language education system. They provided complete primary and secondary education to around 150,000 Chinese-stream students, who accounted for approximately 40% of the student population in Singapore.4 The early 1960s would be a period when Chinese-language education bloomed and flourished.