However, the quality of education was not very high. In the early 1970s, out of every 1 000 pupils entering primary
grade one, only 444 reached secondary grade four after 10 years. And of these, only 350 (35% of the cohort) gained
three or more passes in O-level examinations. A significant report by Dutch economic advisor Dr Albert Winsemius
estimated that every year between 1970 and 1975, Singapore would be short of 500 engineers and 1 000 technical
workers and would have a severe shortage of people with management skills (Lee, et al., 2008).