Higher Education Industry in Hong Kong and Singapore: Reflections on a Decade of Expansion

Abstract

Aspiring to become a global city asserting for regional leadership, Hong Kong and Singapore identify themselves as regional education hubs. This chapter focuses on the development of the higher education industry in Hong Kong and Singapore over the last decade. The education hub notion was introduced during the concession period; thus, sustaining economic growth was considered the key reason for the education hub policy. However, this instrumentalist approach has stimulated tension between the global agenda and local needs. This chapter selects these issues to examine the significance of the concept of education hub in the future development of higher education in Hong Kong and Singapore. The chapter begins with a review of the globalization agenda in higher education. It subsequently analyses the development of education industry in the two city-states, which illustrates the connection between competitiveness and higher education development in the policy agenda. The chapter then critically examines the effects of the hub strategies adopted by the two city-states. The analysis focuses on the tension between the global agenda and local needs. Finally, this chapter discusses the prospect of the education hub vision, which explores the common trends and challenges facing higher education development at the post-massification stage in Hong Kong and Singapore.