For group, (f)or self: communitarianism, Confucianism and values education in Singapore

Abstract

Values education in Asian societies is commonly underpinned by an ideology of communitarianism that seeks to promote the needs and interests of ‘others’ over the ‘self’. An example of an Asian country that promotes communitarian values through its values education curriculum is Singapore. By reviewing the moral and citizenship education curricula in Singapore, the present article points out that the accent is on ‘others’ rather than the ‘self’. Noting that communitarianism has often been linked to Confucian values in Asian societies, this article offers a Confucian viewpoint of the self and moral self‐cultivation. It further argues for a form of values education that balances the ‘self’ with ‘others’ through active learning, self‐reflection and self‐evaluation. The Singapore experience provides a useful case study on the influence of communitarianism and the potential of Confucianism on values education in an Asian context.

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