WHEN he was in Primary 6, he was transferred from the EM2 to EM3 stream because of his poor grades.

Many people told Leonard Loh Weh Leong (left) that it was 'the end of the road' for him.

And it didn't help that he had written himself off. He continued to neglect his studies.

That is, until he found out how his nonchalance was hurting his family.

On Thursday, the 17-year-old became his parents' pride and joy when he was the top O level student in the Secondary 5 level of his school, Manjusri Secondary.

He scored four A1s and one A2, and 10 points overall.

This, from a boy who scored just 116 points out of 300 in his Primary School Leaving Examinations.

Six years ago, Leonard was an academic disaster. To him, primary school was meant for fun and games.

His classmates used to call him 'blur king' for being unable to understand even the simplest things.

Even when he and a few of his friends were transferred to the EM3 stream at the end of Primary 5, he did not care.

'I knew it would happen,' he told The New Paper.

His parents never lost faith in him. But Leonard did not really know they were hurting deep inside.

During a family vacation to Japan in 2001, after he was transferred to the EM3 stream, his mother said to him sadly: 'Do you really dislike studying? A lot of people look down on EM3 students and say you are useless.'

That was an eye-opener for Leonard. And the beginning of his amazing turnaround.

He asked his parents to buy him assessment books and his father hired several tutors.

But it was too little, too late. Leonard scored poor grades for his PSLE and ended up in the five-year Normal stream.

When he was in Sec 3, his mother, who was working at a hair salon, told him she felt demoralised every time she was asked about his grades.

This spurred Leonard to work harder. His parents egged him on. His father, 43, bought him a planner.

Leonard recalled: 'He told me, 'Life will be meaningless without a goal. When you jot something down, make sure you fulfill it. If you don't, continue working hard. Never give up.'

His parents also cut out inspiring articles about students who overcame the odds, including one about an EM3 student who made it to university. Leonard said: 'I believed if others could do it, I could too.'

HARD WORK

He knew he was still behind most of his peers, but his hard work and his teachers' help made the difference.

Mrs Patrina Tan, his Principle of Accounts teacher, said: 'He stayed back almost every day to clarify doubts.'

Gradually, Leonard's grades went up. He said he owes his improvement to Mrs Tan and his Sec 3 maths teacher.

Maths used to be his weakest subject. Now, it's his best. He even scored an A1 in his O-level E maths exam, which he was allowed to take in Sec 4 instead of in Sec 5.

Now, he hopes to get into Meridian Junior College.

'When I first stepped into (secondary school), I told myself I'd make it to junior college,' he said.

He aims to be a financial adviser or a motivator, so he can inspire others.

'It matters not how much you need to learn, but how much you want to learn,' he said. 'Start now.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on Jan 28, 2007