Nahvin Muthusamy: The Student Who Dared To Speak Out.

“Amidst the audience, his mother, Vasuntha Devi, was overwhelmed with emotion, wiping her tears while listening to the resonating voice of her son. With heartfelt emotion, he called out in Tamil: "Amma, appa… you're the reason I'm here."

As Nahvin neared the end of his speech, he gathered his courage and announced with determination: "I have a story to share with you..." This moment marked a turning point he'd carefully planned after many nights of thought, deviating from the more conventional trajectory his valedictorian speech had initially taken.

He began by recalling a friend from his high school years, also of Indian descent, whom he considered to be smarter, more mature, wiser and significantly more talented than himself.

"When our SPM results were out, I had one more 'A' than him. Though our qualifications were almost identical except for that extra 'A', I was accepted into a matriculation programme, but my friend wasn't," Nahvin recounted.

After a brief pause, he said: "He was devastated, feeling as if it was the end of his life. He became lonely and fell into depression, believing he wasn't good enough."

Nahvin then shared his surprise upon entering the programme, where he encountered students whose academic performance wasn't only comparable to his friend's, but some even had lower scores — and still got in.

Delivering the grave news with straightforward solemnity, he said: "Sadly, my friend is no longer with us." Allowing a moment for this poignant reality to sink in, he went on: "And I can guarantee that if he had the same opportunities as me, he'd be the one standing here, addressing you today, not me. This isn't just my story. It's a reflection of the struggles faced by minorities."

In the hushed silence of the hall, Nahvin continued: "Education should be accessible to all, irrespective of race, religion and background. We must prioritise meritocracy in our educational system, rather than adhere to a quota system employed by political parties which only aims to divide us. In a merit-based system, anyone who's qualified would be accepted, regardless of their background.

"I won't delve into details about my friend," he tells me firmly. "It's enough to say that we were part of the same group of ambitious students, all dreaming of advancing through education."

The failure to gain admission into the programme deeply affected his friend. "He had pinned all his hopes on getting a place. When he didn't, it broke his self-esteem and he fell into depression. He withdrew from us, and despite our attempts to reach out, he remained isolated," he sighs, adding: "Sadly, not long after that, we learnt that he passed away."

Nahvin emphasises that this experience isn't unique, insisting it's one of the numerous instances where high hopes and dreams have been crushed due to a flawed system that fails many minority students with exceptional results.”