SINGAPORE, Feb 21 — Three months before the A-Level examinations began, Jurong Pioneer Jurong College student Pearlyn Chen took up a part-time job doing administrative work at a tuition centre.

The reason: Her father, a private-hire car driver with Grab, was hospitalised after suffering a stroke.

"Money has always been a big struggle for my family,” Chen said, deciding then to spend whatever spare time she had to help with her family’s finances. Her mother, who worked at a different tuition centre, objected but Chen persisted.

"Because of the Covid restrictions (at the hospital), it was also difficult to visit him. Instead, I tried my best to fulfil my duties as a student and at home, so that my mum did not need to worry about me,” the 18-year-old said.

She was among the 11,646 students who collected their GCE A-Level examination results on Friday.

Chen, who took Higher 2 (H2) Economics, History and Literature, and H1 Math, declined to reveal her exam results. H1 and H2 refer to the depth of the subject taken by the student, with H1 subjects being briefer than H2.

The Ministry of Education said that 93.6 per cent of the students who sat for the exams attained at least three H2 passes, with a pass in General Paper or Knowledge and Inquiry.

They did better than the cohorts in 2019 (93.4 per cent) and 2018 (93.3 per cent).

She showed resilience and tenacity

Chen juggled her studies and her job by revising on weekdays and working during the weekends.

The hectic schedule took a toll on her health, and she recalled falling ill right before her preliminary examinations in September.

"I told myself to just put up with it,” she said. She told TODAY during the interview that her father is doing better now and recovering from his stroke.

Chen’s civics tutor and literature teacher, Zaleena Habeeb Mohd, described her student as someone who would stay up till the wee hours to lend a listening ear to a classmate in need of emotional support.

"No other student will take it upon themselves to be there for someone else in this way,” Zaleena, who is in her 50s, said in an interview with TODAY on Thursday.

"I'm very proud of her as a person… She has already showcased her resilience and tenacity. So even if she doesn't perform that up to par, I’m still very, very proud of her.”

Ahmat Firz Zulkifli has struggled with dyslexia since young but he has secured a place at the Nanyang Technological University. — TODAY pic

Overcoming his academic struggles

Another student who collected his results on Friday was 19-year-old Ahmat Firz Zulkifli.

He was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of eight, which was only discovered after his parents took him to see a psychologist at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital as he was struggling to keep up with his studies.

Speaking to TODAY during a recent interview, Ahmat recalled feeling embarrassed and overwhelmed by his situation.

"I was just too fixated on the fact that I had this condition whereas my other classmates did not,” he said.

"It lowered my self-esteem because it felt like no matter what I do, no matter how hard I tried, there was no way that I could catch up again.”

Still, he did well enough in his O-Level examinations to earn a place at the Millennia Institute.

In the A-Levels, he scored two Bs and a D for his H2 subjects and two As and a B for his H1 subjects.

With a passion for helping people through policymaking, Ahmat is waiting to study Public Policy and Global Affairs at the Nanyang Technological University. He has already attained a spot at the university through its early admissions exercise.

He had this to say to other students like him: "Do not look down upon yourself. See that you still have untapped potential that can be fulfilled in the future.” — TODAY