Kyaw, Arkar. Obstacles to liberal education in Southeast Asia: a case study on Singapore's Yale-NUS college. Master's Degree(Public Policy). Chiang Mai University. Library. : Chiang Mai University, 2568.
Obstacles to liberal education in Southeast Asia: a case study on Singapore's Yale-NUS college
อุปสรรคต่อการศึกษาศิลปศาสตร์ในเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้: กรณีศึกษา Yale-NUS College ของสิงคโปร์
Abstract:
While liberal education has garnered continued interest and development over the past decades in East Asia, the situation is not the same in Southeast Asia. This study attempts to explore the obstacles that may have prevented liberal education from becoming an attractive policy option through a case study of Yale-NUS College, Singapores first liberal arts college. The sudden and unilateral closure of Yale-NUS College has sparked controversy and has given rise to a number of questions and speculations. The study attempts to situate the issues and debates that Yale-NUS faced during its tenure within the broader context of the goals and nature of liberal education in general, drawing on both unstructured interviews with members of the college community and a review of the literature on philosophical aspects of liberal education. From this higher-level perspective, the issues and controversies are analyzed in terms of financial concerns, populist or democratic concerns, and political concerns, and discussed how each relates to the goals and nature of liberal education itself. In light of this understanding, some strategies and approaches for policymakers and advocates of liberal education are recommended.