SINGAPORE – Madam Siti Wahiddah first heard about a space in Singapore that could provide teenagers with all-round support – from academic and enrichment programmes to meals and even comfortable dormitories with individual study spaces – from her social worker in 2022. 

=Dreams, a first-of-its-kind residential campus catering to disadvantaged students mostly living in rental flats, had just opened for registration. 

Though the 35-year-old mother of four girls aged two to 15 knew they would benefit from such an environment, she found herself reluctant to take up the offer. 

Her social worker had identified her second daughter, Nurul A’Syaqirah Kasim, now a Secondary 1 Express student at New Town Secondary School, as having the potential to do well in her studies and benefit from more support. 

“I had not heard of =Dreams and I thought it was something like a girls’ home… I also hesitated as I was worried if my daughter would think I didn’t love her and I was abandoning her,” said Madam Siti, a divorcee. 

“But I’m not highly educated so I can’t really guide her in her homework, which can be quite difficult.” 

It took her two months to ponder it and discuss with her daughter before deciding to send Syaqirah to the boarding facility located at the former Geylang Serai Community Club in Haig Road, which has since become a second home for the girl.

It was a tearful affair for Madam Siti, when she visited her daughter during a three-day introduction camp in December 2022 at the campus. “I felt heavy-hearted letting her go, but at the same time I had to accept this is for her good,” she said.

Her daughter is among the first batch of 28 Secondary 1 or 2 students, or scholars as they are called, who formally joined =Dreams in 2023. 

They are given a full scholarship that covers the cost of the programme, and food and lodging on campus. =Dreams, which is endorsed as an approved Institution of a Public Character, is funded by donations from foundations and individuals.

Most of the students’ families live in public rental flats, said Ms Carol Chen, executive director of =Dreams. There is an even mix of students from the Normal (Technical), Normal (Academic) and Express courses.

Applications for the next cohort, who will come onboard in June, started in April. The target is to have at least 40 of them in total by the end of the year, and it will take in another 40 students in 2024. The campus has a total capacity of 240 residents.

“We allow only one child per family to ensure we benefit as many families as possible. We let families decide on which child to send as they understand their children better,” said Ms Chen. 

Apart from passing the Primary School Leaving Examination and gaining admission to a mainstream secondary school, a key criterion is the applicant’s willingness to stay on-site, she said. They must also be Singaporeans or permanent residents, and their families must be on the Housing Board’s public rental scheme, although there might be exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

“This is not a corrective or reformative centre, and at 12 or 13, it’s quite a young age to be staying away from family and seeing them only on weekends and holidays. It takes courage to embrace this change and new concept, and having to follow a curfew and rules,” Ms Chen added. 

Residents are required to return to the campus by 4pm if they do not have any after-school activities and by 7pm if they have to attend co-curricular activities.

“We do encounter kids who are not ready, because they feel that freedom is being taken away from them, and they value that very much,” Ms Chen said, citing one withdrawal.

Students stay at the =Dreams campus on weekdays, commuting to and from their respective schools. They return home on weekends.

On weekdays, they are given extra classes and enrichment activities. For instance, as part of a study buddy programme, student volunteers from Victoria Junior College go over to the campus a few times a week to help residents with homework. 

=Dreams has also tied up with self-help organisation Mendaki to provide tuition classes in the English language and mathematics in the evenings. 

Students can also join interest-based electives like sports, coding and leadership programmes on campus. 

They can stay at the facility for up to six years, or until they enter tertiary institutions like polytechnics or the Institute of Technical Education. 

Ms Chen said most of the students’ parents are busy with making ends meet, and struggle to find time to support their children. 

“But they have a very strong desire to see the children grow and do better than themselves.” 

The top two reasons they cite for joining =Dreams is wanting their children to learn independence and life skills, as well as hoping for a better environment that can support them academically and help them find good friendships, said Ms Chen.

The facility currently has a team of six full-time staff. These include a house mistress and assistant house master who stay on-site. Each of them looks after seven to eight students and liaises with their parents, providing them with updates during the week. 

Ms Chen said family support is critical in these children’s journeys. 

Since February, external counsellors have gone to =Dreams to run sessions encouraging the children and their parents to open up to one another. Each family will have three such sessions within the year.

“It’s about letting both sides have a conversation about their aspirations and dreams, strengthening bonds in the process. This seldom happens in many families.”

Madam Siti, who is currently not working and is looking after her youngest daughter, said she has seen positive changes in Syaqirah in 2023. “She’s happier and more confident now. She talks more and has more friends,” she said. 

“Her dream is to be a surgeon. She tells me she wants to work hard in school so that she can help us get out of financial difficulty and live in a bigger space.” 

Madam Siti, who plans to find a job in May when her youngest daughter enters childcare, said: “When I see Syaqirah happier, I also feel more motivated to do better for my family. I hope to have a stable income and to buy my own house.

“Weekends are the most precious time now, and family bonding is better because we miss one another and the sisters don’t quarrel as much.” 

Ms Chen said the hope is that these second- or third-generation children living in rental flats will be given more opportunities and exposure to the world beyond their communities.

“Some of the kids may think living in a cramped space is a norm and may not think of getting out,” she said.

“We want them to have the chance to enter tertiary education, have greater skills and social capital, find their strengths and be better versions of themselves.”