ABSTRACT
Singapore is a prosperous and vibrant multicultural society of 4.5 million people consisting of a mixture of Chinese (77%), indigenous Malay (14%), Indian (8%), and other ethnic minorities (1%). The majority of Singaporeans speak English, which is taught in school as the national language, although a variety of other languages and dialects may be the first or second language spoken at home, including Mandarin, Malay, Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew, and Tamil. Whereas older generations of Singaporeans may have experienced low levels of prosperity and education, in recent decades Singapore has developed a buoyant economy with a high standard of living and education. On average, students attend 12 years of formal education prior to a 3to 4-year undergraduate university degree. Singapore has a high standard of literacy. Global statistics estimate the adult literacy rate for Singapore was 93% for ages 15 and older during the period 2000 to 2004 (World Bank, 2006).
