SINGAPORE — Growing up, Mr Dean Yap was pushed to study hard and was often among the top students in class.

When he was 26, he had a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering and a Master’s in communication software and networks in his bag, and had worked for two years in the semiconductor industry.

But he got a reality check on the limitations of glowing report cards eight years ago, when he failed to kickstart his own IT business. “Because I spent so much time on homework and examinations in my schooling years, I lost many opportunities to interact with others ... I ended up not knowing how to talk to my clients, I couldn’t build my team, and my business failed,” said the 42-year-old.

He became a stay-at-home father instead to his first child, who was a newborn at the time. He now has three children aged nine years, six years, and four months old.

These days, concerned about the Republic’s perennial obsession with grades and spurred by the rise in teen suicides here, Mr Yap wants to take his message further. He has rallied a group of Singaporeans — among them well-known personalities and ordinary residents — with the aim of sharing the stories of at least 100 individuals who have shown that academic acumen had little to do with real-life success.

Named 100 Voices, the group currently comprises founding members such as World Toilet Organisation founder Jack Sim, who failed his O- and A-Level examinations, Kimberly-Clark associate director Gina Sim, who could not get into the “coveted Science stream” in school, and marketing entrepreneur Calvin Soh, who has been on a sabbatical to spend time with his son for the past five years.

“We want to share with students, parents and teachers that there are at least 100 different pathways to success, and that there are 100 different ways of defining ‘success’,” Mr Yap told TODAY, adding that society is often too quick to dismiss low academic results as “failure”.

He was prompted to start the 100 Voices initiative last month, after reading about the case of an 11-year-old who took his own life because of the anxiety he felt over revealing his grades to his parents.

In July, the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) reported that the number of suicides among those aged between 10 and 19 years old last year spiked to their highest in more than a decade, at 27 out of 409 reported suicides.

This group also formed 9 per cent of callers to the SOS crisis hotline who disclosed their age. Their stressors included academic pressure and relationship problems at home and in school.

About 20 individuals have pledged to tell their stories, which 100 Voices hopes to share through various media outlets, on online platforms, and in schools.

While encouraged by the Government’s vision of “every school a good school”, and the introduction of more “hands-on” subjects to the secondary school curriculum, Mr Sim felt that all stakeholders must work together to “find better ways to deliver education that our children enjoy”.

Added Mr Soh: “What we often call failures are often stepping stones to success. Life is about trying new things ... again and again. Students spend so much of their time doing ten-year-series exercises. There is no “ten-year series” for life, because every ten years is so different from the one before and the one after!”

Youth counsellors approached by TODAY said they have seen an increasing number of youths seeking help for depression and anxiety, many of whom have attempted suicide or verbalised thoughts of doing so.

Mr Daniel Koh, a psychologist at Insights Mind Centre, said constant emphasis and comparison on academic results can cause students to resort to self-harm when they are unable to cope with negative emotions.

Urging parents and teachers to spend more time with children, Mr Koh said: “It is most important to know the children so any changes in behaviour can be detected and help provided at the earliest point.”

Consultant psychologist Elizabeth Ho from The Resilienz Clinic added: “Take a vested interest in their interests, hobbies and dreams (not your dreams), not just how they are faring academically ... Encourage them to get up when they have fallen, and take the time to listen to them.”