The high quality of Singapore’s workforce today is the result of deliberate policy actions, especially dating from the
1990s onwards. Since then, high-quality teachers and school leaders have formed the cornerstone of the education
system and are a major reason for its high performance. Rather than focusing on just one element, Singapore has
developed a comprehensive system for selecting, training, compensating and developing teachers and principals,
thereby creating tremendous capacity at the point of education delivery. Key elements of that system are described
below: