Hearing-impaired Normal (Technical) student secures spot in ITE aerospace course

SINGAPORE - At the age of five, Manojoy Majumdar lost part of his hearing in both ears, slowing down his learning and making it hard for him to communicate.

In school, he struggled to hear instructions during lessons, and found it especially hard in secondary school with practical subjects such as Mobile Web Applications.

The subject – one of five ITE Skills Subjects offered at Manojoy’s school – taught him to create mobile applications and develop interactive websites.

“Sometimes, teachers speak too fast and I feel confused,” said the now 17-year-old, who was from Crest Secondary School’s Normal (Technical) stream.

ITE Skills Subjects is a separate curriculum for Normal (Technical) students in specialised schools like Crest Secondary, where students can choose two of five skills subjects where they develop core technical skills like mechanical design, retail and mobile web applications.

Manojoy, who relies on a cochlear implant and a hearing aid, also faced challenges in understanding the meanings of certain words.

He still managed to do well for his N levels, and secured a place in the aerospace avionics course at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) through the Early Admissions Exercise, an aptitude-based admissions exercise that allows students to apply and receive conditional offers for admission to either polytechnics or ITE.

He was one of 13,790 students who received their N-level exam results on Dec 16.

Of the 4,421 Normal (Technical) students, 98.3 per cent passed, said the Ministry of Education and Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board in a joint statement.

This was a slightly higher pass rate than the 97.9 per cent in 2023.

The pass rate for Normal (Academic) students was 99.5 per cent. Of the 9,369 of them who sat the N levels, 76.7 per cent will be able to progress to Secondary 5 in 2025.

In 2024, 48 per cent of school candidates from the Normal (Academic) course took subjects at the O-level exams.

Their combined GCE Normal (Academic)-level and school-based O-level preliminary exam results will be taken into consideration when schools determine their eligibility for progression to Secondary 5 Normal (Academic) or post-secondary pathways.

Manojoy said his teachers and schoolmates gave him support and helped him do well.

“In the beginning, I was worried because I can’t hear very well, which meant that I couldn’t talk to my friends or understand the teachers,” said Manojoy.

But his teachers would repeat themselves or speak more slowly, while his friends would explain things to him.

His teachers also had a transmitter that connected to his hearing aid, making it easier for Manojoy to learn, and communicated with him more in writing.

Manojoy also managed his hearing impairment by relying on video guides and using captioned video tutorials.

Schoolwork aside, Manojoy said helping others comes naturally to him.

He took on roles such as class chairman and helped classmates who were struggling with practical lessons.

He also played drums for the school band, adjusting the volume of his hearing aid to protect his ears, while staying focused on the rhythm.

Mr Teh Tuan Ann, vice-principal of vocational education at Crest Secondary School, described Manojoy as warm and forthcoming, a student who never let his disability limit him.

“Manojoy is very well-liked by his peers,” Mr Teh said.

“He is able to get along with his friends, even though he is a man of few words.”

He added that Manojoy was also very willing to help other students with coding, as it was a subject he excelled in.

Manojoy hopes to teach sign language to others in future.

He was inspired by a friend who is mute – as they could not communicate verbally, Manojoy discovered the importance of knowing sign language.

“It is another way to talk to others, and I want to encourage those who are deaf that they can still communicate even if they cannot hear,” he said.