Journal Articles

This article examines the conceptioa of and procedures for moral education in Singapore's schools. The unique socio-political framework is seen as the key to moral education in Singapore; it is a situation of considerable complexity -a high degree of pluralism coupled with rapid urbanization and industrialization. The government seei.ng its task as one of managing diversity while promoting economic growth uses ethnic pride and Asian cultural tradition as a mobilizing force; a preference for de-politicization of the electorate finds a parallel in a lack of political education in the schools. However, the many ambiguities and contradictions in these policies appear not to be appreciated and pose problems for the future. The author's analysis of recent government reports and curricular trends reveals the serious shortcomings consequent upon the failure to deal adequately with the problems posed for moral education in a plural society.

The presence and development of axillary buds are important in shoot and plant growth, especially in trees. As very little information is available on the axillary buds of tropical trees, about 100 local tree species, growing in the Botanic Gardens, Nature Reserves and along waysides, were investigated. The occurrence, morphology and size variations of the axillary buds are discussed.

Lagerstroemia speciosa (L) Pers., a common road-side tree of Singapore, was successfully mass-produced using the tissue culture technique. Nodal segments were the best explants as they could produce more multiple shoots than do shoot tips with BAP and 2ip treatments. The excised shoots were rooted in agar medium or sterilised sand, supplemented with IBA. The former was found superior. About 90% of the plantlets survived when transplanted to soil.