Future-oriented citizenship: A possible citizenship model starting from the case of Singapore

At present, there are seven main citizenship concepts in general – namely, classical citizenship (Athen’s citizenship as office-bearer), liberal citizenship (human right to be citizens), social citizenship (citizens’ right for social welfare), national citizenship (citizens in nation states), multiple citizenship, post-national citizenship and global citizenship. What is reflected in the development of these concepts is the historical progress from seeing citizenship as a privilege to regarding it as a political and social right, and from citizenship restricted to nations to one that is global. What is also shown is that the concept of citizenship is rather fluid and dynamic. Thus, it is sometimes understood as flexible citizenship today. Despite these different names and conceptualizations, the understanding of citizenship education is still confined to the socialization framework. That is, the purpose of citizenship education is to teach young people about the ‘here and now’ and about how they can participate properly in the localities of various citizenship contexts. However, as we move into the twenty first century, citizens are facing a highly mobile and changing society. A particularly urgent and important task for twenty first-century education is to equip people with twenty first-century competence, which they need to survive and thrive in the uncertain and unpredicatable world. Therefore, educating citizens for the future becomes an essential issue. In this regard some important questions need to be answered, such as ‘Is it possible to socialize for the future unknown world that is full of uncertainty?’ ‘What would be the unique features of citizenship education that focuses on becoming rather than being?’ ‘What would be the future modes of interactions between the government and citizens while they are both unsure about the future?’ Rather than trying to find definite answers for these questions, this article would like to provide some observations starting from the Singapore context, which is attempting to prepare citizens for the future.