[The Singapore education system]
I am a product of Singapore's education system.

The society around us sets the structure – what we have to do, what we have to learn. And we follow.

It starts out with kindergarten. Then to primary school. I was rebellious then - used to annoy my teachers and bully my classmates.

When it was time to enter a secondary school, I decided to be an angel. I served in my class committee and in the school library.

My 'O' level results weren't fantastic enough to qualify for a place in the junior college - perhaps just enough to make the cut.

In polytechnic I worked hard. I managed average results but yet not good enough for a local university. Until now. After working for a year, Singapore Management University accepted me. It was a miracle, a dream come true and a gleam of hope.

So we progress up the academic ladder we yearn to be the best. Our parents want us to be the best. They want us to score and top the class.

Sometimes we so much driven by results that we sometimes forget why we study in the first place. Do we want to just study for the sake of grades? Do grades really matter?

We stress ourselves out. We do our homework. We research till late at night. We memorise important information for exams. It does not matter if we forget what we memorise after the exams.

There is no room for mistakes. Once we do, we get lost in the rat race. We lag behind.

Making mistakes is all part of learning. We make mistakes then think of ways to improve. Life is not smooth sailing. One cannot not make mistakes. It is only human.

In the world today, competition is the key. We are a society based on merit. You perform then you advance. Fail and you may be condemned.

Perhaps that is why we stick to the safe route that is laid out for us. We dare not try new things. We follow what our predecessors have done – things that they think are the best for us.

We are boring. No one dares to be creative - to be different. Most tend to want to take the well-trodden path.