ABSTRACT
All former and current leaders at Singapore’s universities recognise the importance of the governance system of an autonomous university in building the system of universities. University autonomy is not unique to Singapore. It has been implemented elsewhere in East Asia as an application of the new public management system. While the concept of the autonomous university was well-designed, we argue that the way it was implemented in Singapore contributed to the success of the university system and we conclude that this governance system has stimulated diversity among the universities.
