2025 IJRSE – Volume 14 Issue 13
Available Online: 10 July 2025
Author/s:
Rahmani, Rebecca Emma
Anastasia, Jessie
Yap, Vivian Aurelia
Winata, Violeta Gracia
Anastasia, Jessica
Chien, Yu Fang
Salim, Jocelyn Odelia
National Chengchi University, Taiwan
Abstract:
This report paper explores the complex relationship between bilingual education, cultural heritage and national development through a comparative case study of Singapore and Taiwan. To begin, we traced back the ideological roots of Singapore’s bilingual policy. It was first introduced after its independence in 1965 to promote the usage of English for economic competitiveness and “Mother Tongue” languages for persevering cultural identity. This report paper looks into the development of the policy, highlighting its successes in global integration and the consequences that come after it – particularly the marginalisation of dialects. Taiwan’s “Bilingual 2030” policy, aimed at boosting English proficiency, is then analysed in comparison, gaining attention to its own challenges in protecting local dialects and indigenous languages. This paper looks into whether Singapore’s bilingual model could be applied to Taiwan, considering Taiwan’s democratic system and rich cultural diversity. In the end, it suggests that Taiwan should adopt a more balanced bilingual policy—one that not only supports global communication through English but also protects and promotes its local and indigenous languages.
Keywords: bilingual education, language policy, cultural preservation, Singapore, Taiwan
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2025.25205
Cite this article:
Rahmani, R. E., Anastasia, J., Yap, V. A., Winata, V. G., Anastasia, J., Chien, Y. F., & Salim, J. O. (2025). Singapore bilingualism: A model or a myth? International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 14(13), 33-47. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2025.25205