SINGAPORE - Michael was 13 when he took drugs for the first time. He was 16 when the police arrested him for drug-related offences.

In 2016, at 21, he was sentenced to 12½ years’ jail with nine strokes of the cane for drug offences that also involved violence.

Michael (not his real name), now 28, is still serving his sentence at Institution Tanah Merah 1 – a place for reformative trainees and inmates studying in Prison School.

But that may be the only thing that has not changed.

On Wednesday, in acknowledgement of the strides he has made, he was presented with a gold National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA) at the Prison Link Centre in Tanah Merah. 

Introduced in prison in 2000, the NYAA programme is aimed at helping inmates develop self-reliance, perseverance and a sense of responsibility towards themselves and the community.

The programme – supported by the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) and community partners – had 61 gold award recipients and 20 silver award recipients this year. 

Some of the projects completed by participants included recording audiobooks with the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped and providing them to those with visual disabilities.

The inmates also participated in runs – with sports apparel firm Under Armour donating a backpack to welfare homes for every 10km completed – and clocked 810km in total.

The award ceremony, held in person after a two-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic, saw family members of inmates in attendance. 

Dr Maliki Osman, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs, presented the awards to the inmates, aged 16 to 30. 

Michael, who was an emcee at the event, said the programme taught him values such as being in control of his emotions, being respectful and maintaining friendships that make him a better person. 

Besides getting involved in drugs at 13 under the influence of some neighbourhood friends, he also began covering his arms in tattoos. His secondary school teachers and principal said he could attend classes only if he had them removed by laser, but he added more tattoos instead. He was expelled from school at 15.

Between 16 and 21, Michael was arrested twice and sent to a drug rehabilitation centre. “It was a matter of time before I was sentenced again,” he said. 

He enrolled in Prison School this year, after two unsuccessful tries due to the pandemic, and began studying for his N-level examinations. While the results will come out only next month, Michael scored As in English, accountancy and combined humanities in the preliminary exams. He called it a feat. 

“I had never passed any subject in my whole life, both in primary and secondary school. When I received my results and saw that I not only passed, but managed to score As, it was a big moment for me,” he said.

He also found time to participate in the NYAA programme on weekends, and learnt how to grow vegetables such as bak choy, write poetry, play futsal and make origami with fellow inmates. 

He said: “Previously, I had only friends who would encourage me to take drugs. But now I have friends who push me to do better and who support me – not just academically, but physically and emotionally.” 

Michael’s father, who was present at the media interview, said he has seen a huge difference in his son, and hopes he continues to sustain the values he has learnt in his time behind bars.

In his speech, Dr Maliki, who is a member of NYAA’s advisory board, commended the awardees for their perseverance, and highlighted the importance of NYAA.

He said: “As part of the transformational environment in SPS to facilitate positive change, the NYAA programme provides participants with the opportunity to discover qualities and values that are meaningful to themselves, in their journey of change.”

Once he is out, Michael hopes to live by the most important lesson he has learnt in Prison School and the NYAA programme.

He said: “The amount of effort put into something will definitely show in your end result. So always give it your best.”