In trying to understand Singapore’s success, it is also important to remember its small size. Singapore’s national
education system is more like that of a city or a small state, with approximately 522 000 students and 360 schools.
Professor Lee Sing Kong, Director of the NIE, likens it to “turning around a kayak rather than a battleship”. The
stability of the government and the broad popular consensus on the purposes of education also make it possible to
pursue policies for long enough to see if they have any impact.