Dropouts, neighbourhood schools and Normal stream: These people made it big without going to 'elite schools'

After an MP's "lousy school" comment in Parliament went viral this week, it sparked intense online discussion on educational backgrounds, with some questioning if his earlier comment on Singapore's schools still holds true.

While some people may think some schools are better than others, here are several Singaporeans who have proven that you don't need to go to an "elite school" to succeed in life. 

1. Dr Tan See Leng, 56 

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As the MP of Marine Parade GRC, Minister of Manpower and Second Minister of Trade, one would expect Dr Tan See Leng to come from an illustrious background. 

Surprisingly, the down-to-earth MP went to Monk's Hill Primary School and Monk's Hill Secondary School before enrolling in National Junior College.

After which, he got into the National University of Singapore (NUS) and obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery in 1988 and a Master of Medicine Family Medicine in 1998.

Prior to getting into politics, he founded Healthway Medical Group and was part of Parkway Holdings. 

2. Pritam Singh, 45

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Many people in Singapore know Pritam Singh as the leader of the Worker's Party. Apart from that, he is also a lawyer at Donaldson & Burkinshaw LLP. 

But before entering the world of law and politics, he had humble beginnings at Woodsville Primary School and Belvedere Primary School.

After graduating from the Normal stream at Saint Thomas Secondary School, Singh attended Jurong Junior College before going to the NUS. 

In a commencement speech at NUS in 2018, he admitted that he had "fumbled badly" in the Primary School Leaving Examination and "bumbled" his way into junior college and university.

So, for those of you out there who are struggling in school, don't give up on yourself because he's proven that anything is possible. 

3. Zhang Yong, 47

Co-founder and chairman Zhang Yong of popular hotpot restaurant Haidilao is currently one of the richest people in Singapore, but did you know he never finished high school? 

In his youth, Zhang dropped out of school and worked as a welder in a state-run factory in Sichuan, China. Then, he was only earning around 93 yuan (S$19) a month.

In 1994, Zhang set up the very first Haidilao eatery, which was just a 400-square feet space with only four tables.

Since then, it has grown into a global restaurant chain with 700 restaurants in countries like Singapore, Australia and South Korea.

As the owner of Haidilao, Zhang has a net worth of US$11.5 billion (S$15.5 billion). He moved to Singapore in 2019 and is now a naturalised Singapore citizen.

4. Quek Siu Rui, 33

Many of us use the online classifieds app Carousell but did you know that one of the co-founders, Quek Siu Rui, studied at Ngee Ann Polytechnic? 

It was also where he met his other co-founder, Marcus Tan, in a marketing interest group. 

In 2012, Quek founded Carousell with Tan and Lucas Ngoo. The unlisted start-up has since become a local unicorn valued at US$1.1 billion (S$1.5 billion).

According to Quek's LinkedIn profile, he went on to study at NUS. He also took entrepreneurship courses at Stanford University as well as went on a year-long internship program in Silicon Valley under the NUS Overseas Colleges programme.  

5. Huda Hamid, 29

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A force to be reckoned with, social entrepreneur Huda Hamid is the co-founder of Fempreneur Secrets, an online training platform that helps women run and grow their businesses.

Who would have known that this confident young woman had a troubled past?

When she was just 21, Huda's father died. His death took a toll on her and she ended up dropping out of university in her second year as she had "lost all motivation", she told CNA.

With the loss of the sole breadwinner, her family was thrown into a tough financial situation. Watching her mother struggle with repaying the debts of the construction company her father left behind, Huda learnt that business skills were very important for women.

After the success of her own video production company Blissful Studios, she went on to create Fempreneur Secrets in 2017 to help other women. 

6. Velda Tan, 34 

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Some of you may know Velda Tan as the founder of fashion labels Collate and Our Second Nature. Prior to this, she co-founded blogshop Love, Bonito during her undergraduate days with Viola Tan and Rachel Lim in 2005. Since then, the brand has evolved into a regional fashion chain.

Before starting on her journey as an entrepreneur, Tan studied at Pioneer Junior College as well as the Singapore Institute of Management.

During the first year in university, she realised that she "wasn't keen on studying anymore", Tan told High Net Worth Digital Magazine, and dropped out in her second year to focus on her fledgling business.

This article has been edited for clarity. 

melissateo@asiaone.com