Secondary school prepares you for life, not just exams

Dearest S, Four years of secondary school have passed in a flash and you're now at the tail end of the journey with the O-level examinations starting next week.

- Jane Ng Senior Correspondent

You sat your last major exam, the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), in the middle of a pandemic, wearing a mask and dealing with the uncertainty of school closure.

So much has happened since and you have had a fulfilling secondary school journey.

You made up for missing the National Day Parade National Education show in Primary 5 by attending the show with your friends when you were in Secondary 3.

Through the Art Elective Programme, you developed critical thinking and time management skills.

You sometimes spent 10 hours perfecting a drawing or sculpture, but that taught you to organise your schedule, juggle your work and stay disciplined.

You invested just as many hours on your dance co-curricular activity (CCA), preparing for the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Arts Presentation, among other performances.

You said it was stressful, and sometimes you dreaded practice, but I hope you see that you also gained from the strict and tiring regimen. You built resilience and strength, and learnt about the importance of honing a technique and the beauty of teamwork.

A bonus was making unforgettable memories with friends.

You spent hours and hours on your art and dance, but you might have spent just as much time on your schoolwork.

Mathematics and science were not your strongest subjects when you started secondary school, but with help from your teachers and tutors, and your own hard work, you are now doing reasonably well in them.

I hope you feel a sense of pride knowing that something you worked for has seen improvement. That personal satisfaction is something no one can take away from you.