SINGAPORE - As a student at the Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah, Abdul Hakam Nor Razak had to take 10 subjects as part of the Islamic curriculum at the religious school. On top of that, he was enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). Early last week, the 18-year-old was one of 25 students in the madrasah who received their IB results. They are the pioneer batch in this programme, which began in January 2019. Even while juggling it with his Islamic education, Hakam managed to score 42 points out of the maximum 45. He was the madrasah's top scorer. The IB curriculum consists of six subjects and three core components - namely theory of knowledge, an extended essay, and creativity, activity and service. In this last component, students have to complete a project related to those three concepts. Hakam's six chosen subjects were chemistry, mathematics, Arabic, English, Malay literature and politics. On how he did so well, he said: "I enjoy learning and studying isn't a chore for me. "During the holidays, I read up about science and maths, which supplemented my knowledge about the subjects." He also has a keen interest in politics and English. He frequently read...