1980

Singapore Democratic Party is founded by Chiam See Tong.
Moral Education is announced to be taught at an upper secondary level with Religious Knowledge, including Confucian studies as an option.
RTS is transformed into the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) through an Act of Parliament to provide it with greater autonomy and flexibility in personnel, financial and production matters. As the nation’s broadcaster, SBC introduces new TV formats and other breakthroughs, such as Chinese dramas, current affairs programmes and variety shows.
Special Assistance Plan (SAP) Schools launched, converting 9 Chinese secondary schools into bilingual institutions with special governmnet funding.
Catherine Lim publishes “Or Else, the Lightning God and Other Stories” (second short story collection).
Jessie Wee publishes the Mooty series.
URA and other government agencies prepare a comprehensive long-term plan for the Central Area. Chief among its proposals are the development of Marina City on 690 hectares of reclaimed land south of Singapore into an integrated hotel, shopping, office, residential and recreational development.
Fandi Ahmad scores the winning goal in the finals for the Malaysia Cup, where Singapore beats arch rivals Selangor 2-1.
“Saint Jack” is banned. It is eventually given a single late-night screening at the Singapore Film Festival, on grounds of its historical value, in 1997. The ban is lifted in 2006.
Kuo Pao Kun released from detention (incarcerated 1976)
Singapore’s most established university – it has its beginnings in 1823 when Sir Stamford Raffles proposed a research and education facility – is formed as National University of Singapore (NUS) from a merger between University of Singapore and Nanyang University. Then-president Benjamin Sheares was its first chancellor.
A Mandarin dubbing unit for dialect programmes is set up in Singapore, with the SBC flying in the Hong Kong husband-and-wife team Mao Wei and Wang Mei to dub serials and oversee the production of new programmes.
July: "The God of the Sabre", the first locally dubbed Hong Kong serial, is aired.