From EM3 to PHD?

Yesterday, I chanced upon an interesting article in The Straits Times. For those who are interested to find it, it's under the Home section, page B17. Like what the title of this post suggests, the article was about Mr Lim Yok Zuan, who was awarded a graduate scholarship by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, and is applying to study immunology at Oxford University. However, the thing is, Mr Lim was not exceptionally gifted from young, and was actually in EM3, which was today's equivalent of the Normal (Technical) stream. Being able to study for a PHD is extremely noteworthy in its own right, and it's even more amazing when you factor in the fact that Mr Lim was an EM3 student!

Without a doubt, this piece of news is pleasantly surprising, and I myself am rather surprised at this. It's truly a herculean feat to be able to receive a PHD after being in EM3 for so long. However, what really struck me was how he had improved. It was not by purely studying book after book (or 'mugging', as with our lingo today), but his improvement was driven by his interest. He was first attracted to physics after browsing through an encyclopedia, which inspired him to learn and read more about physics. In turn, this also improved his English and his grades as well. I firmly believe that this is the right way to learn. I feel that one can only learn and study with full concentration if one has the passion for the subject. In this case, Mr Lim managed to pull up his grades significantly because he was driven by his passion. This is quite unseen today, where most students only study for the sake of studying, and for the sake of getting good grades. I feel that many of us can learn from Mr Lim, and that we should always try to develop an interest for what we are studying, and instead of dismissing studying as a chore, we can adopt a different perspective and see it as something beneficial and fun to us!

Another thing that triggered much thinking was the emphasis on the fact that Mr Lim was an EM3 student. Singapore's education system has always been meritocratic, which means that students are judged by merit (ie. grades). I feel that this may have ill effects on students as well, primarily those in the weaker streams, like the Normal and Normal (Technical) streams. Not every EM3 student gets to become a potential PHD student, and I dare say that Mr Lim's case is one in a million. When one goes into the lower streams, is this akin to telling the student that he or she is never going to achieve much in life? Will this have adverse effects on the students' confidence? In Mr Lim's case, if he had never come across the encyclopedia, chances are he would become another normal EM3 student, with a low-end job without much of a future. Therefore, this begs the question: Is Singapore's education system beneficial to everyone? Mr Lim might have been a late bloomer, but unfortunately, his needs are not catered to in the fast-paced education system. Bill Gates dropped out from Harvard, but where is he now? What I'm trying to say is, our education system might be able to nurture the best and most competent leaders, but does it come at the cost of neglecting the weaker and less bright students?

This article has indeed made me think for quite a while, but at the end of the day, I'm happy for Mr Lim, and his achievement is truly astounding. He is truly a role model for students who are under stress due to their results. His case shows that you don't have to be an Einstein from young (haha ironic I know) in order to succeed in life. What are your thoughts about this? :)

Cheers,
Roystan