Can Singapore Fix Its Schools? : Leaders See the Irony of 'Teaching Creativity,' but They Know They Must Try, or Fall Behind

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Singapore is trying to do something about the rigidity of Asian educational systems. The small city-state has made a successful transition from poor colonial entrepot to wealthy manufacturing and financial- services center. But Singapore's leaders realize that to continue to flourish, they need to move up the food chain of industrial production. As a member of Singapore's International Academic Advisory Panel, I've been invited to critique their strategy, and I'd give them high marks for diagnosis and design. Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew told me, "Singapore must look in the future to such growth industries as information technology, biotechnology and entertainment, and that will require more creativity in our education."

Can Singapore's leaders pull off real reform? In 1997 they …