Observers say the challenge for Singapore’s educators is to ensure that upward mobility for students maturing later is not impossible
4-MIN READ4-MIN1 ListenJean IauPublished: 8:22pm, 17 Jun 2026Updated: 8:36pm, 17 Jun 2026When Singaporean Joel Tan stood before fellow Harvard Medical School PhD graduates recently, he recalled how the chance to study biology had once seemed unrealistic because he was told his grades were not good enough.“I often think about how much of my life depended on someone, somewhere, deciding that my past performance did not have to define my future potential,” said Tan, who delivered the student address at the Harvard Medical School-affiliated PhD programmes’ hooding ceremony on May 28.
“Someone opened the door that had been closed to me, and because of that I eventually found my way here to Harvard … being here is an incredible privilege, but it’s also a reminder that talent is everywhere, opportunity is not,” he added.
His 12-minute speech, posted on YouTube, has since revived debate on whether Singapore’s high-performing but intensely competitive education system gives enough room to students whose interests and abilities emerge later.
2026 Harvard Medical School-Affiliated PhD Programs Hooding Ceremony: Joel TanSingapore regularly dominates global education assessments such as the Programme for International Student Assessment and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. In recent years, it has introduced reforms to give students more flexibility, including broader post-secondary pathways, aptitude-based admissions and subject-based banding.
