29-year-old inmate tops prison cohort for O-Levels

Anna (not her real name), a 29-year-old prison inmate, scored straight As for her GCE O-Level examinations and emerged as the top inmate student of her cohort. 

For Anna who is serving a 22-year sentence for drug offences, retaking O-levels was a precious opportunity. 

“Opportunities like this don’t come easy, I would never take it for granted,” said Anna. 

She only made the decision to sit for the examinations five years into her sentence as she wanted to be sure that she was ready to do her best. 

Since then, she spent her days studying and managed to achieve excellent results through pure grit and determination. 

Anna credits her results to her Math and form teacher Ms Jayme, who constantly pushed and encouraged her every step of the way. 

Reflecting on her teenage years, the mother of one reveals that she was someone who always went with the flow. 

“I never thought much about my actions or consequences. If my friends told me to do something, I would agree without thinking but I can’t blame my friends,” she said. 

At the end of the day, Anna has learnt to be responsible for her actions. She also strongly believes that making good choices are more important than just achieving good results. 

Rehabilitation Officer (RO) Lee Sang Hui shared how despite the length of her sentence, Anna remains focused and knows what she wants to achieve in her time in prison. 

Anna, who longs to take the train home one day, is planning to take her GCE A-Level exams later this year. 

Congratulations Anna and we wish you all the best!