‘Kids with no future?' 3 teens in Singapore share why they quit school and how they're rebuilding

CNA

10 hours ago

SINGAPORE: Two years ago, Mohd Sulaiman Mohd Lizam became a father and officially withdrew from secondary school to support his young family — taking on night shifts at warehouses and working as a delivery rider.
As he turned 17, he believed school dropouts like himself were seen as 'kids with no future'.
But that outlook recently changed when he learnt that he had received S$4,187 in donations, far beyond the S$1,500 goal his social worker had set in a Give.Asia campaign.
The support came from viewers who had watched the On The Red Dot series, Dropouts, which followed the lives of three young Singaporeans, including him, who had left school early.
'Most of it is going to my daughter's stuff,' he told CNA Insider. 'The rest of it is (for) saving.'
Among other acts of kindness, an anonymous viewer paid for Sulaiman's Normal (Technical) exams, which he will sit as a private candidate this year.
A former teacher of his also reached out and donated S$300, plus 'biscuits, diapers and stuff' for his 18-month-old girl, Liyana.
'(Their comments) … are the things that no one's ever said to me,' he said. 'I didn't know that there were this many people (who) believed in me.'
Online commenters also heaped praise on him after the series aired. On YouTube, @kurogax wrote, 'Showing up and daring to take responsibility at such (a) young age is something you don't see every day.'
Others lauded his parenting. Instagram user @kipperwinkle wrote, 'Fair play to this young lad (for) keeping his daughter's interests in mind and doing what he can to make sure she has all she needs growing up.'
One message that meant more than most to Sulaiman, however, came from a father who said the teenager's story motivated him 'to keep himself closer to his kids'.
While grateful, Sulaiman is still adjusting to the attention. He recalled a group of children running up to him after watching the show at school. 'I just said to them, yeah, just don't do the shit I did,' he laughed.
Christine Ng, who also featured in the series, was equally surprised by the positivity. Having dropped out in Secondary 3, she said people often jumped to conclusions and assumed dropouts like her were 'losers'.
But some viewers looked below the surface. For example, @abbylaikahei thought Christine was mature.
'She doesn't blame anyone else, and she knows she's the one with issues,' wrote the YouTube user, 'compared to many people who are older than her but will blame the world, blame the government (and) their parents for their circumstances.'
Now 17, Christine channels her energy into freelance digital marketing, relying on passion to make up for her limited formal training.
Following the show, she has received offers of collaboration through the comment sections, and her client base has grown to four regulars. She has since refined her approach — trading cold calls for advertising and networking events.
Not all comments, however, were charitable. Youtube user @mrlaoben said Christine was 'extremely fortunate to have been born to rich parents' and blamed them for 'enabling her behaviour'.
Another viewer, @dnsh1762, scoffed: 'Ain't no way (she) dropped out just 'cause she couldn't make friends.'
Christine, who cited mental health struggles and social isolation as her reasons for leaving school, is not taking such comments to heart.
'People don't know my (full) story,' she said. 'They may see one part of the documentary and come up with a conclusion.'
The third teen featured, Nurul Afiqah Anati Isa, was more wary of the online scrutiny and said she had looked at only some comments.
The 18-year-old, who dropped out in Secondary 2, knew that appearing on camera had its risks, especially with her past in juvenile rehabilitation centres such as the Singapore Girls' Home now made public.
But viewers such as @MiloDinosaur-o6w were supportive and 'rooting for her to find her niche and (hoping) that she's always resilient'.
Another YouTube user commended the teenage trio for sharing their stories. 'I'm very touched by your stories and your willingness to turn your lives around,' @moozel4757 wrote.
On The Red Dot found out why they left school and how they are forging ahead, one step at a time.
NOT ONLY ABOUT STUDIES BUT CIRCUMSTANCES
According to Singapore's education ministry, the last five years have seen less than one in 100 students leave secondary school without completing it.
It was not simply a case of teenage angst or dislike for studying, however, for the three teens in On The Red Dot. They all experienced some form of isolation at school.
Sulaiman often felt 'alone in a class', while Afiqah remembers the sting of being ostracised.
Afiqah ran away from home in Primary 6 and was placed in a Pertapis welfare home, then the Singapore Girls' Home, where she studied until midway through Secondary 2.
Upon re-entering a mainstream school, she was two years older than her classmates — and painfully aware of it.
'Somebody in school found out about my past and my age, even though my teachers and my student welfare officer had already agreed not to share (that) with anyone,' she recounted.
'I felt that they were always looking at my tattoos, though I put (on) plasters to cover them, and talking behind my back.'
Eventually, the discomfort became too much, and she decided to leave school.
Christine, meanwhile, recalled being described as 'bubbly' in her early primary school report cards — someone who got along well with her peers.
But everything changed in Primary 5. Her grades plunged, and pressure from parents and tutors eroded her interest in school altogether. By the time she entered Secondary 1 in 2021, she 'totally forgot how to interact' with her classmates.
'I'd go to school and then just sit there, just dazed, just try to make friends, but it didn't work out,' she said. 'That's when I decided I should stop going to school.'
At home, the isolation deepened. While her family was not ashamed of her, she herself felt 'very embarrassed' and pushed everyone away.
She found escape in online games — like Roblox games with voice chats, where she could meet people. 'It's quite fun to have friends online, also because you have someone to talk to,' she said.
My only friend was my computer.'
Soon she was gaming up to 15 hours a day, sometimes without sleep — a hobby turned addiction that delayed her brief return to school by nearly a year and a half.
Worried about her mental health, her parents sought help. She was later diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and bipolar disorder.
While the diagnoses made sense, she took months to come to terms with them as she wondered, 'Why must it always be me?'
For Sulaiman, there was not much time to dwell on his situation when he found out, at age 15, that his partner, Azirah, was pregnant.
He had already been skipping classes and struggling to stay engaged in school, but fatherhood marked a turning point. He remembers Azirah's father telling him in Malay, 'Berani buat, berani tanggung (If you dare to do it, you must dare to take responsibility).'
'I dared to make a baby with my partner,' Sulaiman said.
So I must be daring (enough) to take the responsibility, … which I did.'
WORKING THEIR WAY UP
Today, Sulaiman and Azirah, 19, take turns working delivery shifts. He hopes to become a mechanic, however, and achieve financial stability for his family. For that, he knows he will need to earn his N(T)-Level exam certificate first.
Enter Project Starfish, a programme offering free classes for out-of-school youth preparing to take the N(T)-Level exam privately.
Lessons are held every Monday, and Sulaiman attends every class unless he has a valid reason not to, such as needing to work an extra shift or his daughter falling sick.
It is a far cry from how he would skip school just because he had overslept. His anxiety has also eased since his first day, when he was all nerves walking into a room with 60 to 70 unfamiliar faces.
Many boys in the class reached out to him. 'I was kind of lonely here since it wasn't my home (ground) — so yeah, (we) can be friends,' he recounted.
They even have a Telegram group where classmates share life updates and, on class days, make group calls so that everyone wakes up on time.
There are still moments of regret. He misses the routine of school and sometimes compares himself with his peers who have moved on.
'When I see people my age studying, I definitely feel the sadness because I could've been there,' he said. But when these feelings creep in, he stays focused on what matters most.
'(When) I look (Liyana) in the eye, it just makes me want to keep going and never stop,' he said. 'I keep a positive (mindset in) making sure that my daughter has a better future than me.'
Fatherhood has changed him, he added. 'Without her, till now I'd really be an impatient type of person. Last time, I had anger issues; I couldn't control myself.'
Christine, too, has been rebuilding. Therapy and medication have helped clear her mind and strengthen her resolve.
Since officially withdrawing from school last year, she has completed a month of training in the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) of Singapore's vocational and soft skills programme, which helps out-of-school youths with job competency and employment opportunities.
There, she learnt about money management, setting career goals and writing a resume. Afterwards she took a digital marketing course at Hatch, YMCA's vocational training partner, to sharpen her marketing and user experience and user interface design skills.
In a similar vein, Afiqah has become more independent and proactive at home — cooking, doing laundry, helping her mother — and more focused on preparing for this year's N(T)-Levels as a private candidate.
With help from Impart, a charity supporting youth in need, she gets weekly tuition in English, Malay, science and mathematics — and studies at least two hours a day, three to four times a week.
She hopes to be an accountant, acknowledging that she 'finally' has a sense of direction.
'Some of my family members are working in the finance industry, and I also love maths,' she said. 'I need to really work my way up there.'
Her efforts are showing. 'I can tell that she's very motivated, from seeing how many practices she's done,' said her tutor, Amirah Nurhuda.
She's marked (them) by herself, done her own corrections, and … she's also quite a fast learner.'
But it is a race against time for her and Sulaiman as they catch up on years of material in mere months. 'We're studying (at a) fast pace,' said Sulaiman. 'I've had issues (catching) up, but slowly … I'll be there.'
Both teens plan to attend the Institute of Technical Education after their exams — Sulaiman aiming for mechanic-related courses, and Afiqah for finance.
The latter hopes that by sharing their stories, they can inspire other school dropouts to keep searching for ways to find the light at the end of the tunnel.
It is about getting back on track, agreed Christine, who plans on earning her secondary education certificate in two years' time, enrolling in a business course at polytechnic and then properly launching her own company with a team in place.
'(Dropping out) is something that I chose,' reflected Christine, who is focused on growing her freelance business for now. 'I can't back out even though things may get hard.'
One thing is for sure, she will not let people's opinions affect her, 'because in the long run', she said, 'it's going to be you versus yourself'.