LANGUAGE POLICY IN THE PRESCHOOL SECTOR OF THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OF SINGAPORE

Abstract

Studying language education in the preschool sector of a country, which is multinational and has a high qualityeducation system, is useful in terms of implementing effective and proven means of updating and optimizingof domestic preschool education. The purpose of the article is to study and analyze Singapore’s languagepolicy and ways of its implementation in the country’s preschool education sector. Methods. The work isbased on the methodological principles of scientificity, objectivity and integrity. The research is based on suchmethods of scientific researches as the analysis of scientific literature and normative documents, synthesis,comparison, generalization and systematization of the received data.Research results. The main directions of the state activity on providing bilingual education in the preschoolsector of Singapore, as well as unification and regulation of the functioning of Singapore’s preschooleducational institutions in the field of language education are studied. It was found that the conceptual framework “Nurturing early learners”, proposed by the Ministry of Education of Singapore, allowed creatinga single conceptual and methodological basis for the development of curricula in each individual preschoolinstitution. Another focus of the Singaporean government has been turned to reducing the impact of Englishand Chinese dominance in the country’s preschool sector and to increasing the number of Malay and Tamillanguage programs in preschools for ensuring equal access to language education for all Singaporean ethnicgroups by opening new kindergartens with an offer to study English and three native languages (optional).Conclusions. It was determined that the country’s bilingual policy was implemented with the pragmaticgoal of uniting a multinational society and achieving economic growth, on the one hand, and preservingthe national heritage, culture and traditions of the ethnic groups living in Singapore, on the other. Despitethe private nature of Singapore’s pre-school education sector, the government is actively involved in regulatingit, including language education, ensuring the principle of meritocracy by meeting the needs of all ethnicgroups in language education at the pre-school level.