新加坡是一個移民社會,自開埠以來,便有多元種族、多元文化的特色。政府在強調共同價值觀的同時,鼓勵人民保留自身的文化傳統,所以各族文化在新加坡都有自己的生存空間,受到尊重。在小學的《公民與道德教育》課程中的故事和案例,充分反映了不同種族互相尊重和和諧共處的訴求。在中學的《公民與道德教育》課程進一步加強各族之間的互相瞭解,除了對不同宗教信仰的介紹,也談及各族群的禮俗和生活習慣。顯而易見,新加坡的道德倫理課程的内涵,深受儒家思想的影響,但一些具有深厚華族傳統的學校及社團,為了輔助學校的道德教育,同時推動兒童讀經,一時間蔚然成風,引起不少關注。
Singapore is a migrant society, with multi-racial and multi-cultural characteristics from the very beginning. The government promotes shared values, but at the same time encourages citizens to preserve their cultural roots. The stories and case studies in the primary level Civics and Moral Education textbooks fully demonstrate this appeal. In the secondary level, the curriculum further enhance mutual understanding among different races, in particular their religious beliefs and customs, in order to build a harmonious society. It is obvious that Singapore's moral education curriculum has strong Confucian element, but some schools and organizations with deep-rooted Chinese background advocate child Classics learning in recent years to supplement regular curriculum. It has become a popular trend and caused widespread concern.