As a part of the 10 percent of Singaporeans who suffer from dyslexia, Mint Lim had her work cut out for her at a young age. In struggling with reading and memory retention, she was often left feeling “stupid and confused”. And in interpreting things differently, she regularly found herself ostracised. The emotional slump resulted in a habit of avoiding eye contact.
Lim eventually secured a place at an elite school thanks to the steadfast support of her mother and teachers. Yet, she was still a fish out of water. “I did not feel like I belonged because everyone spoke fluently, with beautiful accents, while I had a distinct Singlish accent,” she reveals. “Plus, socialising came naturally to them.”
It was only in her 20s that she bloomed with self-assurance, and the newfound confidence propelled her into serial entrepreneurship, a stint that had her trading in markets around the region. But her childhood experiences had catalysed a desire in her to help children discover their optimal learning style. So, in 2017, she founded the School of Concepts, a preschool enrichment centre that emphasises English literacy through play.
“Why play? It is a child’s first language. Every child knows how to do it.”
Mint Lim on the School of Concept’s play-based approach to English literacy
The school is as much a social enterprise as it is an educational institution: its mission is to provide every child with access to quality education, regardless of their learning difficulties or socioeconomic status. Besides implementing inclusivity, it also reserves a percentage of its enrolment for children whose families cannot afford the tuition. It currently devotes 30 percent of its resources to its social mission.
“There is a clear gap between children who have resources and those who do not, and this is even before they begin formal education. Many of our under-resourced children are bright, but lack confidence because of their circumstances,” she asserts, alluding to a vulnerability she is all too familiar with.
Lim also tries to empower adults, specifically her staff. The school hires and trains individuals with disabilities to make contributions based on their strengths.
For her efforts, she she was recognised on the world stage as one of 33 fellows in the 2023 edition of the Cartier Women’s Initiative. The annual international entrepreneurship programme provides the women with funding, coaching and networking opportunities.
“It felt like a dream come true for a dyslexic educator with an ambition that no child gets left behind—an ambition many back then found lofty,” she says of the experience.
The cherry on top? Although surrounded by many eloquent women at the ceremony held in Paris last month in May, she did not feel out of place this time around. “I didn’t feel like I didn’t belong. I didn’t feel left behind. If anything, it has greatly inspired me to do more,” she says.
Lim has grand plans for the School of Concepts. The immediate goal is to equip a million children in the South-east Asian region with literacy skills by 2025. She hopes to accomplish this through the Alphabet Explorer mobile app “proven to be highly effective in helping children, regardless of their learning differences and styles”.
With all that she has accomplished, she disagrees dyslexia as a disability. “For those who overcome it, it is a gift of resilience.”
Style director: Chia Wei Choong
Art director: Ed Harland
Videography: Isaku Lim and Zachary Chia
Photography: Cher Him
Photography Assistant: May Chong
Hair & Makeup: Aung Apichai
