To be fair, Life Beyond Grades

doesn’t claim

that “studying is unnecessary, or that any kind of enrichment is wrong”. Its goal is simply to broaden society’s definition of success and nurture children’s love for continued learning by embracing the multiple pathways that children can take. And that’s critically important.

To walk the talk, the founders, who run their own media companies, are upfront about their ‘less than stellar’ PSLE scores. By making the distinction between the past and present, they hope to show other parents that their children don’t need good grades to succeed in life.

In reality, our family backgrounds significantly inform how we navigate the education system. We can preach that money doesn’t lead to success, but this isn’t a concept that low-SES families are familiar with. Their poor circumstances do have a substantial impact on their children’s aspirations and future.

Meritocracy, especially in Singapore, isn’t forgiving like that.

James, a media content strategist, shares that his father had been in and out of jail several times during his childhood. His mother, being the sole breadwinner of the family, would constantly drill him and his siblings on the importance of getting good grades. For his mother, getting her children to prioritise their results was the only chance at a better future for them.

They studied hard so they could escape their “crazy poverty”.

“Whenever I see stuff such as the Life Beyond Grades initiative, I’m like, bitch do you even know what privilege you all have? Up till now, I still believe that only rich people can make it in life,” says James.

He remains adamant that if he didn’t study hard, he would not be where he is today.

Reducing the pressure that children face is not as simple as telling them that grades aren’t everything.