SINGAPORE – Adam (not his real name) walked back to his seat to show his classmates his A-level result slip, his look of surprise giving way to a wide grin.

The 43-year-old is no ordinary student – he received his A-level results on Feb 23 in prison, earning his third certificate in three years after his N and O levels.

He was one of 11 inmates who sat the exam in Prison School in 2023. Eight of them qualified to apply for polytechnic, private degree courses or full-time local university courses.

Prison School runs academic classes at various levels up till A levels, and partners with institutes of higher learning for inmates’ further studies.

Adam, who is serving a 21-year sentence for drug offences, has been in prison since 2012. It is not his first prison stint, as he has had previous brushes with the law. 

Recalling his student days when he took his N levels over 20 years ago, he said he failed every single subject as he was young and did not think things through as a teenager.

He did not have high hopes of passing all his A-level subjects but ended up scoring Cs for General Paper and Management of Business – the two subjects he had the highest hopes for – a D in literature and in accounting, and an E in economics.

Adam said he had no intention of getting involved in drugs. He was doing well at work in the food and beverage industry and had a family. But his marriage broke down, and he fell into a downward spiral when he began taking drugs as a form of escape.

His work performance deteriorated and he was forced to resign. He racked up nearly $70,000 in debt and had to sell drugs to survive.

“When I was arrested, I was caught with so much drugs, I was worried I would be sent to the gallows,” he said. Drug consumption impaired his judgment, he added. “I really don’t know what I was thinking.”

He wants to turn over a new leaf. “Naturally, as you age, your thinking changes too. What am I going to be doing in 10 years’ time, when I am released? How can I present myself to society?”

His age did not stop him when he decided to further his studies in 2020, after concluding that he should not waste his time in prison.

“I thought, by hook or by crook, I need to do this,” Adam said. “Getting an education is a more practical plan for me.”

Initially, he was slightly apprehensive and unsure about how he would cope. He was also anxious, given that the syllabus might have changed since the last time he was in school.

But he said there were a lot of examples of former convicts who studied and went on to be successful people when released from prison. “If they can do it, why not me?”

The A-level exams were a challenge for him, as he had to work around the limited resources and lack of a conducive study environment in prison.

In the one-year course, he attended classes from Monday to Friday from 8.30am to noon, and would continue studying in his cell until 7pm. He spent his weekends studying from morning till 7pm as well. “There’s not much else to do.”

He said he enjoyed reading about world affairs for the General Paper subject, and found Management of Business to be interesting as he learnt how to run a business and manage people.

This will be Adam’s fourth year in Prison School, and his next goal is to pursue a marketing or logistics and supply chain management degree programme with the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

He even hopes to continue his education after his early release in 2026, and possibly get a master’s degree. But the first thing he will do upon his release, he said, is to “eat good food”.

His biggest supporters – his girlfriend and family – will be very proud of him, especially his 70-year-old mother, who did not expect him to pass his A levels, he quipped.

As for his two children, who he has not seen since 2010, “I wish to see them when I’m in a better place”.