ABSTRACT
The year 1990 was not only the International Year of Literacy but also the year when Singapore celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of its independence as a nation. It is appropriate at this point to ask what literacy policies Singapore has adopted since independence and what effects have been brought about in Singapore today by these policies. In order to arrive at an understanding of the present Singapore situation, it is useful to begin with a brief look at the language and education history of this island-state, as questions of literacy in the country are inextricably tied up with its education and language policies.
