ADE brought about a third phase in Singapore's educational development. As S. Gopinathan pointed out, 'Education reform in Singapore is primarily a way of retooling the productive capacity of the system' (Gopinathan 2007,59) and the third phase marked an attempt to retool by way of creating new sets of skills and capacities for globalisation and the information age, commitments to lifelong learning, and greater flexibility and adaptability. The first phase of Singapore's educational system form 1959 to 1978 was a survival-driven education that emphasised technical skills necessary for manufacturing and social cohesion. THe second phase,the New Education Policy (NEP), from 1979-1996 was efficiency-driven and based on a model of economic rationality and standardisation to develop human capital for economic productivity. The new ability-driven education instituted by TSLN in 1997 was process-oriented and focused on a reduction of subject content, revision of assessment modes, holistic education , character building and the development of a broader spectrum of talents and abilities. No ability was to be left behind; all talents were to be marshaled for full use by the nation .