During the colonial era, Chinese schools in Singapore held dual roles as community-run institutions and schools affiliated with overseas Chinese communities. The latter implied a strong connection between these schools and China, raising important questions about the national identity and affiliation of its students. As Singapore moved towards self-governance and independence, it was inevitable that the identity of Chinese schools would go through a major transformation.

Schools for the overseas Chinese

In January 1949, Chang San Sheh (1898–1969) — a veteran in the Chinese cultural and educational community — published a series of articles in the newspapers urging local Chinese schools to maintain their identity as schools for overseas Chinese. Given that the majority of Singapore’s Chinese population still held Chinese citizenship at the time, Chang believed the objective of Chinese schools, “mostly founded by overseas Chinese associations”, was to “educate the children of overseas Chinese so that they might grow up to be good members of the local community and useful citizens of China upon their return home”.

He felt it was “necessary for the overseas Chinese to set up their own schools to educate their children abroad”, because “Chinese culture has a long history, and Chinese education is an independent and complete system in itself”. He also noted that “as of now, Chinese who plan to stay in (British) Malaya have either been there for generations, or have well-established careers. The rest are only here for the time being, and will return home once the circumstances allow for it. But even the former desires to send their children to Chinese schools, not to mention the latter”.

As such, Chang argued that it was necessary for Chinese schools to maintain their affiliation with overseas Chinese because the local government should respect the “independence and freedom of Chinese education” and “a people’s rights to choose their educational path”.1

A survey by Nan Chiau Jit Pao from March to June 1947 showed that Chang’s opinions were representative of the public sentiment. Of the more than 24,000 respondents polled on the “Future Political System of Malaya”, 95.6% were willing to become Malayan citizens “without giving up Chinese citizenship”. Only 3.1% were willing to do so if it meant renouncing their Chinese citizenship.2

Local identity takes shape

This situation went through significant changes from the 1950s onwards. Apart from the state of international affairs, it was crucial that a growing sense of local identity had been developing as Singapore progressed towards self-governance and Malaya moved towards independence. In this context, the insistence on maintaining the affiliation between Chinese schools and overseas Chinese was increasingly losing its relevance, whereas the decision to develop Chinese schools into institutions that catered to the cultural and linguistic needs of Singapore Chinese had become imperative. It was time to abandon old concepts and beliefs to make way for the arrival of a new world.

Yock Eng High School, circa 1950 (renamed Yuying Secondary School in 1987). The school was founded by the Hainanese community in 1910 as a Chinese medium school. Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

Cover of Xinjiapo huaxiao lianhehui nianzhounian jinian tekan [The 20th anniversary commemorative booklet of the Singapore Chinese Schools’ Conference]. From National Library, Singapore.
At this critical juncture in history, some Chinese cultural and educational organisations which understood the bigger picture came forward to wield their influence. For one, they appealed to the government to “protect the fundamental rights of the ethnic groups of a democratic nation to learn their mother tongues” according to the United Nations Charter, and called for “equal status and fair allocation of subsidies for schools representing the Chinese, Malay, Indian and English-speaking communities in a democratic, self-governing Singapore”.

These organisations also made the public aware of a new reality. With Singapore an autonomous state — where Chinese schools were a component of the state’s education system — the mission of those schools could no longer be to maintain the Chinese identity of the overseas Chinese. Rather, they should transform into Chinese schools that would “groom good citizens” for the new society, and provide “education in the mother tongue” of the local Chinese community.3

These appeals from mainstream forces within the Chinese education community played a definitive role in how Chinese schools adapted to the changing times, and ensured the smooth transformation of Chinese education in Singapore.