So today I was just browsing the internet and my topic of interest was “What happens to people who fail PSLE?”. It didn’t take me long to find out that there were schools such as Northlight School and Assumption Pathway School , and other institutions such as ITE that take in students who are not as academically-inclined.

As I grow older, my social circle seems to have grown narrower…

Thinking back on my entire schooling life thus far, the only time I was ever really with less privileged, less academically-inclined classmates was when I was in primary one and two. I had this classmate named Jin Cheng who  sat beside me and would create trouble all the time in class, doing strange things like cutting his hair using a pair of scissors and pulling at my (female) teacher’s skirt. Because we were all young seven-year olds then, he was greatly ostracised by my classmates. I couldn’t understand his behaviour then. It was perhaps only five to ten years later that I realised that he was a special needs kid. I don’t think teachers then realised that too. It has been more than 12 years since I was classmates with him. I haven’t had contact with him since then but I hope he’s doing well.

It surprises me how much our paths have diverged since primary one. I was subsequently streamed to the best class in the cohort in primary three, and again in primary five. Being in the best class allows you access to all sorts of great enrichment opportunities. There would be special programmes that would be open to only the top three classes. At the age of 11, I embarked on my first exchange trip overseas to China for 8 days. Later that year, I went to Batam, Indonesia for an overseas service-learning trip. These exchange trips were only common in secondary schools at that time, but I was fortunate to have been given such opportunities when I was just in primary school. Even when the elite secondary schools came to give us talks in P6, only the top five classes could attend these talks. I only realised this detail last night and lay there wondering how a student from the last five classes would have felt then.

I did decently well enough in the PSLE and went on to Nanyang Girls’ High (then and now, still the secondary school with the highest cut-off point in Singapore). From there, it was through-train to Hwa Chong and then now, to NUS Law. All my life since then, I’ve been surrounded by smart, academically-strong people, many of them more successful, more brilliant than me. Because of the intensive streaming system in our education system, as I got older, the group of people I was in became even more homogeneous. Heck, in my secondary school there weren’t even boys, there weren’t people in the Normal stream, there weren’t the disciplinary dramas and fights typical of a neighbourhood secondary school experience. All of my classmates were highly motivated to excel in all areas, had dreams of studying in elite universities, getting scholarships and were simply too busy to rake up some disciplinary issue. The only real “issue” that rendered suspension/detention was eating in class or being late for school. I had a great time in secondary school. Being around motivated people who are as intelligent, if not more intelligent than you just makes you want to better yourself every day. The teachers didn’t have to waste time discipling people and could focus all their energy on preparing for lessons and teaching well. It was a win-win situation.

Is our education preventing social mobility?

When I chat with my cousin, who teaches Normal stream students in a neighbourhood school, on numerous occasions, I realise how vastly different the educational environment, and in the future, how your social standing and employment opportunities can be simply by virtue of your grades. The entire meritocratic system in Singapore is structured such that book-smart individuals are naturally at an advantage. There aren’t many opportunities for those who have failed at important exams, especially if these exams come later in life. Of course, there are alternative pathways such as Northlight, ITE, private uni routes. More importantly, success of an individual largely depends on self-motivation, determination and having the best opportunity at the right time.

The meritocratic system does have it flaws. But I would rather have a meritocratic system than a corrupt system, where education and employment opportunities can be gained just by simply having the right connections or having a sum of money. In Singapore, even having the right connections wouldn’t get you much if you’re dumb. That’s why I have had classmates who are extremely wealthy, yet still work their asses off in their studies. I’m thankful for such a system where you are still given an opportunity to work upwards even if you’re born financially or socially disadvantaged. I’m even more thankful that I have never, in my life, been prejudiced or felt that I am in a disadvantaged position, simply because I am a member of the fairer sex. I am able to compete with my male classmates on equal footing and know, when I lose out to them, that it is entirely because I am less competent, not because I am a girl.