THE BIRTHDAY BOOK - TEN YEAR SERIES: THE SINGAPORE EXAMINATION

Ten Year Series: The Singapore Examination is an unofficial syllabus for Singapore's next decade — because the best answers start with better questions. Sixty essays confronting the questions we know well, some new ones, and those we've avoided for decades, with responses from unexpected voices. Includes O-Level style commentary from hawkers, activists, and your grandma. Time's up. Pens down. Minds open.

About The Birthday Collective (TBC)

The Birthday Collective (TBC) aims to be a Brain, Heart and Hand Trust for Singapore. As Singapore navigates a world of rising uncertainty and complexity, the challenges she faces present real risks — but also meaningful opportunities — if met with optimism, creativity and care.

As a Trust, TBC's focus is on the gifts they can offer future generations. While traditional brain trusts centre on ideas and analysis, TBC believes that ideas must also move hearts and stir action.

TBC's projects come together as The Birthday Suite — a growing range of national "gifts" curated for reflection and renewal. These include The Birthday Book and Jr., our podcast Collectively Speaking, a thematic essay series, a free learning workbook, and video competitions with tertiary institutions. More recent efforts include Collective Talents (masterclasses), Birthday Excursions (community outings), the UnConference (a participant-led ideas exchange), and The Birthday Fellowship, which supports changemakers across disciplines.

If you've enjoyed the essays in this book, consider joining our Pay-It-Forward initiative — sponsoring books for schools, charities or community groups. To participate or learn more about TBC's activities, visit: thebirthdaycollective.org.

Ryan Kueh is the author of From Streets to Stalls: The History and Evolution of Hawking and Hawker Centres in Singapore, a bestselling book on Singapore's hawker heritage. He holds a master's degree from Tsinghua University under the Schwarzman Scholars programme and completed his bachelor's at Yale-NUS College. For his next passion project, Ryan is researching the evolution of Singaporean Chinese and Nanyang Chinese cuisine, aiming to uncover why and how local delicacies have evolved vis-à-vis their ancestral origins.

Aaron Shahril Yusoff Maniam (born 1979) is an academic, poet, and former civil servant. He is presently an academic with the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University and is a Senior Fellow for Advanced AI at the Centre for Future Generations, a Brussels-based think tank.

Cherie Lim-Tseng, Chief Operating Officer, Secur Solutions Group and Editor, The Birthday Collective, Singapore. Cherie is a fintech specialist with expertise in card issuance and transaction security, as well as an educator with over 20 years of experience in capacity and competency building. Passionate about fostering meaningful conversations, she serves as an editor for The Birthday Collective, facilitating critical discussions on Singapore's development. She is also a regular contributor to CNA's Op-ed/Commentary panel, where she writes on technology, humanity, education, parenting, and other thought-provoking topics.