SINGAPORE: At the age of nine, Ayden Ang declined a chance to enrol in the Gifted Education Avenues Programme (GEP) in lieu of remaining in his elementary school.
Because he was succeeding in his academics and wanted to challenge himself, the maths and science enthusiast completed the GEP screening and selection process. He was surprised to be admitted.at early October, the now-18-year-old told me at his house, “But the reason I didn’t go for it is because it just felt like a very sudden change.” It was frightening to consider abandoning his friends and switching schools because not all schools offer the GEP.
His parents were pleased when he was accepted into the program for Singapore’s top 1% of pupils, but they were mostly concerned about whether their son could adjust to a new school.
Their strategy was to provide Ayden with as much information as possible and then let him decide. He was shown the advantages and disadvantages in an open house; the rest was up to him.
Ayden’s choice demonstrates how the futures of high-ability children are influenced by their emotional and social intelligence, in addition to their scholastic achievement and intellectual prowess. This has been increasingly apparent in recent conversations regarding giftedness.
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