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BY SANTOKH SINGH
WHEN The New Paper got the e-mail extolling Mr C P Tham's help, it was a story that had to be told.
I was convinced after I spoke to the former teacher on the phone.
He sounded surprised that his offer of help to his former pupil had reached the press.
He came across as an ex-teacher who knows the system better than some who are still teaching.
He rattled off all the standard operating procedures involving students who fall sick during national examinations.
Most importantly, here was someone who sincerely wanted to help his former pupils.
What you have not read in the main story is that Mr Tham actually helped some of the current N-level pupils in Beatty Secondary School progress from the Normal Technical to Normal Academic stream when they were in lower secondary school.
He has followed their progress even after leaving the profession.
And his pupils have been turning to him for help.
That was why he was so determined to see that the student got to the examination hall on time and in good spirits.
To be fair to the school, it did all that was necessary for the boy.
It followed protocol and advised his family accordingly, even though the school's teacher had to call Mr Tham for some advice.
It also agreed to reimburse the student's financially-strapped family, even though the money was going to the family much later.
But there seemed to be one key difference between Mr Tham and the school - the heartware. While the school was rather clinical, Mr Tham had the human touch.
So if there is one thing teachers should pick up from Mr Tham, it is that this job is a calling.
It may seem like a thankless 24/7 career. But it is one that can be richly fulfilling when students remember you years later.
One nagging thought remains. Our education system produces some of the best and the brightest, but are they street-smart?
Shouldn't a 16-year-old, no matter what his circumstances, have been able to find the way to the examination hall on his own?
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