The letter “Promote learning, not scoring well in exams” (March 16) reflected a fact of school life that many Singaporean students face.

I can vividly recall the times during my secondary school days when I felt condemned for having the lowest scores in class. I memorised lessons without understanding them, struggled to pass exams and forgot everything I had learnt after the papers.

I chose to study in a polytechnic after O-Levels as I wanted to get out of the study-for-exams culture. But I went through the same stress that I felt back in secondary school. I struggled to score in exams. I faced my first disappointment when I was rejected for a scholarship. We were all under the impression that only the cream of the crop would make it to university. It was dementedly competitive.

Slowly, I came to realise that academic results are not everything in life, and I became contented with what I have. I began to enjoy school projects and even reading more than what was in the syllabus. I stopped looking at exams as obstacles. I started to learn more.

Our parents, teachers, schools and the Government can do everything they can to shape our learning environment, but we need to realise that, as students, it is up to ourselves to take charge of our own learning.

Being at the top of the corporate world and earning lots of money might not make us happy. We are all valuable assets to society, the “top students” and the “least performing” students alike. It is not what we do for a living, but rather, whether or not we take pride in our work, that renders our lives truly fulfilling and satisfying.