PUBLISHED ONNovember 22, 2023 3:52 AMByDrima ChakrabortyJust last month, the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) came to an end and families celebrated — from eating out to even going on a getaway.
Today (Nov 22), the results are finally out.
"All the best to all Primary Six students," shared Jacelyn Tay in a lengthy Instagram post. "Completing PSLE is already a success."
Her son Zavier, with ex-husband Brian Wong, was one of the thousands who took the exams this year.
The 48-year-old former actress also shared alternative definitions of success. They include things like staying "child-like and pure no matter at what age", being "very clear what makes your heart grow fonder and going for it", and being "able to laugh each day and smile at your big and small achievements, silly mistakes and failures".
Other measures of success for Jacelyn include having "many great friends yet able to live life alone but not feel lonely", forgiveness and overcoming betrayals and even turning one's passion into a job.
"Education is about developing all the above. It takes time. For some, it takes a lifetime," she added.
"Acquiring knowledge is so that you can gain wisdom. A robot and ChatGPT can have more 'knowledge' than any individual nowadays. Our future is about human relationships, health and environment.
"If we only gain knowledge, we are as good as a robot. If we gain wisdom, we are truly living as a human being."
Another mum sharing her musings was Catherine Ng, wife of actor Mark Lee. Their son Maksonn took his PSLE this year too.
The 50-year-old mother of three wrote that some children "may feel very nervous because they know this result is very important for entering secondary school" while others "may be very excited because they want to see their hard work pay off".
She hoped that those who don't receive "satisfactory results" won't "lose confidence and courage".
"The results are only a temporary measure and do not represent your true abilities and potential," she added.
"There are countless successful people in this world who were not outstanding since young, but through continuous hard work and perseverance, they finally achieved success."
She asked parents to give their kids "encouragement and support, help them regard their grades in the correct way and find the motivation to continue working hard".
"Although grades are important, they are not the entire measure of a person," she wrote.
PSLE results are released today at 11am, and students can submit their secondary school choices until Nov 28.
The Secondary 1 Posting Exercise results will be out between Dec 20 and Dec 22.
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