SINGAPORE - Bank officer Muhammad Mahadi, 52, was crestfallen when his daughter did not do well in the Primary School Leaving Examination and entered the Normal Technical stream in secondary school.
For being steadfast in his support of his daughter, he received the Exemplary Father Award from President Halimah Yacob on Saturday in a ceremony held by cancer charity Ain Society at the Concorde Hotel.He said:"My daughter is a late bloomer. When she was in primary school, I often had to chase her to get things done but I tried to send positive vibes.
For instance, more fathers are taking paid care leave to be with their newborn children, with the take-up rate of paternity leave rising from 25 per cent in 2013 - when it was first introduced - to 55 per cent in 2019.She said the Ministry of Social and Family Development works with community partners such as the Centre for Fathering set up in 2000 to shift societal mindsets towards more active and involved fathering.