Religion Research Paper 

Shincheonji and Religious Policy in Singapore

At present, Singapore is the only country to have taken steps to dissolve a local chapter of South Korea’s Shincheonji Church. Jonathan Chan uses this decision as a lens to probe the state’s approaches to religious management. He argues that Shincheonji failed to align with Singapore’s model of multi-religious toleration, in particular through its lack of transparency about its intentions and motivations. This was seen as potentially causing fissures within families and Christian denominations, prompting the government’s intervention in dissolving the chapter.

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International Relations 

Singapore’s omission from “Summit for Democracy” is a blessing in disguise

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Ng Qi Siang argues that it was ultimately beneficial for Singapore to be omitted from the US-organized Summit for Democracy in December last year. By highlighting key characteristics of the summit, he shows how Singapore’s participation is likely to signal a weakened commitment to its foreign policy principles, which includes the city-state’s commitment to non-interference in the internal affairs of other states and the pursuit of good relations with all who wish to work with it. He then discusses great-power tensions between the US and China, and how Singapore’s non-participation in the summit aligns with its strategy to navigate a more polarised world order.

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Digital Technology Op-Ed Security Smart Nation 

Deepfakes: The Implications of this Emerging Technology on Society and Governance

​Luke Seow argues that Singapore is currently not well positioned to deal with the emergence of deepfake technology, and that this poses significant risks for national security and social cohesion. He highlights gaps in the current legislative framework, as well as lessons that can be drawn from other countries’ approaches to combating this emerging challenge. He then makes policy recommendations for Singapore to mitigate the potential dangers of deepfake technology.

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Education Op-Ed 

Shifting Policies, Unshifting Issues: Educational Equity in Singapore’s Primary 1 Registration Exercise

Ruru Hoong argues that the Ministry of Education’s recent change in the 2022 Primary 1 Registration exercise does not address underlying issues of educational equity. Rather, two potential policy interventions should be implemented—critically assessing the priority schemes and re-evaluating the overall school assignment structure for greater procedural equity. Rethinking these policies could have immense implications for the country’s goal to ensure that schools remain accessible to children of all backgrounds.

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Exterior of an MOE Kindergarten campus.
Cross-Publication Education Long Form Op-Ed 

Preschools for the People: An Examination of Singapore’s Early Childhood Education Landscape (Part 2)

In this two-part series, students from Roosevelt Network@Yale-NUS College delve into Singapore’s early childhood care and education (ECCE) landscape, examining the current state of quality and access in the sector. In part one, the authors discussed Singapore’s progress towards improving quality in the ECCE sector. Here in part two, they now turn towards the accessibility of ECCE services, and subsequently synthesise the issues of quality and access to deliver insights regarding the industry as a whole.

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Photograph of a classroom in an MOE Kindergarten.
Cross-Publication Education Long Form Op-Ed 

Preschools for the People: An Examination of Singapore’s Early Childhood Education Landscape (Part 1)

In this two-part series, students from Roosevelt Network@Yale-NUS College delve into Singapore’s early childhood care and education (ECCE) landscape. They draw upon expert interviews and careful study of existing government policies to unpack issues surrounding quality and access in the sector. In this first article, the authors argue that while the government has made significant strides in uplifting and standardizing ECCE provision in recent years, there remains room to tighten minimum quality standards. Effort also needs to be made to correct the societal undervaluation of ECCE jobs, providing professionals in the sector with remuneration and recognition that reflects the vital role they play in child development.

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