By Genevieve Jiang

SINGAPORE'S youth has been disparaged as the air-con generation - too privileged and spoilt.

They have had their beds made forthem all their lives, their meals cooked for them by maids and even their bags carried to school by someone else.

The question that has been asked repeatedly is: Are our young people capable of achieving great things when faced with adversity?

If the stories of inspiration that emerge every year with the O- and A-level results are any gauge, there's hope yet.

Yesterday, two teenagers were among the top scorers, despite difficult family circumstances and personal tragedies.

Tok Ming Da, whose father died six weeks before the exams, did not let his personal loss stop him from becoming the top student at Jurong Junior College.

Indeed, the 18-year-old made history as the first student at JJC to score seven As.

Innova JC student Foo Fang Fang's father died of diabetes more than a year ago. Her mother, who has schizophrenia, spent most of the year in hospital after a relapse.

Yet, Fang Fang was among the top three at her JC.

There are just as many stories of great strength and tenacity at the Olevels.

Last month, Nivetha Narayanasamy from Cedar Girls' Secondary scored seven A1s, despite having to miss school because of recurring infections in her leg.

Balestier Hill Secondary student Oon Kim Keat overcame a disability to score distinctions in both elementary and additional maths and B3 for chemistry, physics, biology and combined humanities.

The 16-year-old has been hearing-impaired since he was 3.

Increasingly, young Singaporeans are less afraid of failure, and willing to strike out on their own.

The 2008 Start-up Enterprise Survey of Singapore showed that about one in five businesses surveyed last year was owned by individuals under 30.

Yes, the youth of today may be more privileged than the generation before, but it doesn't mean that they can't survive when push comes to shove.

They are made of sterner stuff than we give them credit for.

This article was first published in The New Paper.