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SINGAPORE \u2013 Mr Faiq Faran has not had a smooth education journey.<\/p>\n
He moved to Saudi Arabia \u2013 where his father was working as an animal nutrition expert \u2013 when he was 10 and then returned to Singapore to enter secondary school without having a PSLE certificate.<\/p>\n
Even worse, he did badly in his secondary school entrance exams.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the first exam I took, I knew I would fail as soon as I saw the paper. I don\u2019t think there was a single question I could answer completely,\u201d said the now 20-year-old.<\/p>\n
After being rejected by multiple secondary schools, Naval Base Secondary School eventually offered him a place in its Normal (Academic) programme after he barely passed their entrance exams.<\/p>\n
It is fair to say that Mr Faiq made an academic turnaround. <\/p>\n
Not only was he his cohort\u2019s Top N level student at secondary school, he also won the Board of Governors Award for the Most Outstanding Graduate of the Year after completing his studies at Republic Polytechnic (RP).<\/p>\n
Mr Faiq was one of 4,799 graduates across 78 programmes who received their diplomas during this year\u2019s RP graduation ceremony, which is taking place from May 4 to 8.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very grateful that my parents made the decision to move back to Singapore for me to continue my education,\u201d said Mr Faiq, who studied pharmaceutical science and was the 2026 valedictorian for RP\u2019s School of Applied Science. <\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad felt that it was important I spend my secondary school years in Singapore because of how well-recognised the academic certificates here are,\u201d Mr Faiq said. \u201cI was quite sad to leave (Saudi Arabia), because I was used to the more relaxed pace of life there.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a Sec 1 student, Mr Faiq found himself struggling to adapt to the syllabus in Singapore. <\/p>\n
He said: \u201cMy first exam in secondary school, I was getting Ds and Fs for everything. It was a long journey to catch up with my peers.\u201d<\/p>\n
He credited his teachers at Naval Base Secondary School who took extra steps to help him, and his grades steadily improved with each examination.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey knew my foundation was weak, so they would stay back during breaks or after classes to help me with my studies,\u201d he said. \u201cThrough a lot of repetition and practice papers, my teachers pushed me to do better and better.\u201d<\/p>\n
After his N levels, Mr Faiq chose to pursue pharmaceutical science at RP via the polytechnic foundation programme, a scheme for Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students which allows them to apply directly to polytechnic for a foundation year instead of completing Secondary 5 and the O levels. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was choosing my course during the peak of COVID-19 and there was a lot of focus on vaccines in the news, so that kind of sparked my interest in Pharmaceutical Science,\u201d said Mr Faiq.<\/p>\n
He also attributed his academic success at RP to the more hands-on learning environment. \u201cRather than pure memorisation, I can see how what I\u2019m learning in class translates into the real world.\u201d<\/p>\n
A youth leader in various mosques and community organisations, Mr Faiq has also found purpose outside the classroom. <\/p>\n
To date, he has organised some 20 youth engagement and outreach activities, including Hari Raya celebrations bringing together young people and visually impaired participants from the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH), a late night cycling activity with low-income families, and a beach clean-up.<\/p>\n
He was also a recipient of the National Youth Achievement Award (Gold Award) in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, community service is about the impact I can make in other people\u2019s lives, no matter how small,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Faiq recalled a particularly heartwarming incident in February when a visually impaired SAVH representative recognised him from the sound of his voice during an online meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had helped her into a taxi at an event we organised close to a year ago, and she still remembered me just from my voice. I was really touched,\u201d Mr Faiq said.<\/p>\n
Following his graduation, Mr Faiq plans to pursue a healthcare- and management- related degree in a British university on a scholarship, and pursue a career in the public service after he graduates.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI want to be able to expand the amount of good I can do, and make an impact in people\u2019s lives no matter their background or how disadvantaged they are.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n