RP’s top graduate, who almost didn’t enter secondary school, plans to make impact in public service

SINGAPORE – Mr Faiq Faran has not had a smooth education journey.

He moved to Saudi Arabia – where his father was working as an animal nutrition expert – when he was 10 and returned to Singapore for secondary school without having a Primary School Leaving Examination certificate.

Even worse, he did badly in his secondary school entrance exams.

“In the first exam I took, I knew I would fail as soon as I saw the paper. I don’t think there was a single question I could answer completely,” said the now 20-year-old.

He was rejected by multiple secondary schools, but Naval Base Secondary School eventually offered him a place in its Normal (Academic) programme after he barely passed its entrance exams.

It is fair to say that Mr Faiq made an academic turnaround.

Not only did he become his cohort’s top N-level student in secondary school, he also won the Board of Governors Award for the Most Outstanding Graduate of the Year after completing his studies at Republic Polytechnic (RP).

Mr Faiq was one of 4,799 graduates across 78 programmes who received their diplomas during this year’s RP graduation ceremony from May 4 to 8.

“I’m very grateful that my parents made the decision to move back to Singapore for me to continue my education,” said Mr Faiq, who studied pharmaceutical science and is the 2026 valedictorian for RP’s School of Applied Science.

“My dad felt that it was important I spend my secondary school years in Singapore because of how well-recognised the academic certificates here are,” Mr Faiq said.

“I was quite sad to leave (Saudi Arabia) because I was used to the more relaxed pace of life there.”

As a Secondary 1 student, Mr Faiq found himself struggling to adapt to the syllabus in Singapore.

He said: “My first exam in secondary school – I was getting Ds and Fs for everything. It was a long journey to catch up with my peers.”

He credited his teachers at Naval Base Secondary School for taking extra steps to help him, and his grades steadily improved with each exam. 

“They knew my foundation was weak, so they would stay back during breaks or after classes to help me with my studies,” he said.

“Through a lot of repetition and practice papers, my teachers pushed me to do better and better.”

After his N levels, Mr Faiq chose to pursue pharmaceutical science at RP via the Polytechnic Foundation Programme, a scheme for Sec 4 N(A) students that allows them to apply directly to a polytechnic for a foundation year instead of completing Sec 5 and the O levels.

“I was choosing my course during the peak of Covid-19 and there was a lot of focus on vaccines in the news, so that kind of sparked my interest in pharmaceutical science,” said Mr Faiq.

He also attributed his academic success at RP to the more hands-on learning environment.

“Rather than pure memorisation, I could see how what I was learning in class translated into the real world.”

A youth leader at various mosques and community organisations, Mr Faiq has also found purpose outside the classroom.

To date, he has organised some 20 youth engagement and outreach activities, including Hari Raya celebrations that brought together young people and visually impaired participants from the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH), a late-night cycling activity for low-income families and a beach clean-up.

He was also a recipient of the National Youth Achievement Award (Gold Award) in 2025.

“For me, community service is about the impact I can make in other people’s lives, no matter how small,” he said.

Mr Faiq recalled a particularly heart-warming incident in February when a visually impaired SAVH representative recognised him from the sound of his voice during an online meeting.

“I had helped her into a taxi at an event we organised close to a year ago, and she still remembered me just from my voice. I was really touched,” Mr Faiq said.

He plans to study for a healthcare- and management-related degree at a British university on a scholarship and pursue a career in the public service after he graduates.

He said: “I want to be able to expand the amount of good I can do and make an impact in people’s lives, no matter their background or how disadvantaged they are.”