I'VE ALWAYS counted my blessings for making it through to university.
I wondered many times how I would have turned out if I were not suited to Singapore's education system.
For the less studious, the pressure cooker is the bane of their lives.
I had friends in primary school who struggled mightily to pass their Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE).
If only there was some way to avoid the plunge in self-confidence and diminishing of self-worth they suffered with each failed test.
I am glad that now, less academically inclined students need not experience what my friends did.
Assumption Pathway School will take in students aged 13 to 16 who have failed the Primary School Leaving Examination, next January (2009). It aims to give students a foundation in the basics and equip them with technical skills.
Importantly, it is a place where students can discover talents beyond school books.
Year one student Odilia Seraphina Soh, 14, said she twice failed her PSLE exams. She describes Assumption Pathway as the answer to her troubles.
She said, "I tried hard to study but I could not pass Maths. It was so hard. I asked myself what can I do since I'm not good at studying? Now at the school, I learn job skills. I know I have a future and I've found that I am good at cooking."
Mr Adam Lua, 40, said it is important that struggling children, like his son Fadrick, have other avenues to discover their talents.
"I scolded and hit him when he failed his secondary one exams the first time. I stopped when he failed it the second time. I saw how he had lost his confidence. I think this school can be a place for him to regain his confidence as he finds out that he has other talents."
While it is early to gauge the success of Assumption Pathway, its creation is a milestone for Singapore's education system.
Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.