The Sociocultural Context of Schooling in Singapore. Any attempt to understand the significance and function of schooling in Singapore must begin with of the an appreciation sociopolitical context. By the late nineteenth century Singapore society with Chinese was already a plural and Indian immigrants outnumbering the Malays. Thus, the challenge of managing an ethnically and culturally complex population predates independence in 1965 the first half-decade of the twentieth century saw the colonial power, the British, attempting to control a rising tide of Chinese cultural and nationalist chauvinism; issues such as the medium of instruction and control over schools were hotly contested and used in the political sphere as symbols of authenticity. Cultural contestation thus gave education tremendous significance within politics; in post-independence Singapore the socializing role education has to play in the formation of a national identity has remained even as the nature and significa of culture important, continues to be actively debated in the wider society.