Thursday, 17 July 2014

2014 Primary One Registration Exercise; MOE to reserve 40 places in every primary school for registrants in Phase 2B and 2C

Pri 1 balloting at earlier phase for four schools
It's the first time since 1995, with new rule putting the squeeze on Phase 2A2
By Amelia Teng And Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 16 Jul 2014

FOUR oversubscribed primary schools will hold a ballot for places tomorrow.

It will be the first time since 1995 that this has been seen at the early 2A2 registration phase, which caters for children whose parents or siblings are former pupils of the school.

This year, a new rule has put the squeeze on Phase 2A2. It requires schools to reserve at least 40 places which are divided equally between children applying in Phase 2B and 2C.

When registration for this phase closed yesterday, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School in Ang Mo Kio had 24 children vying for 14 spots, while Henry Park Primary in Bukit Timah had 59 children applying for 46 vacancies.

At Radin Mas Primary in Bukit Merah, 67 children applied for 60 places, and Nan Hua Primary in Clementi had 55 children competing for 42 spots.

All four will conduct a ballot for children staying outside a 2km radius of these schools.

At Yu Neng Primary in Bedok, a total of 62 children applied for 59 places, but the school will not conduct a ballot as it will give preference to all Singapore citizens who applied because it has space to cater for them.

The primary school registration exercise started this month and has seven phases. Phase 2A2 is the third of these.

Next up is Phase 2B, which will be held next Monday and Tuesday, and is traditionally when the balloting frenzy begins. This phase is for children whose parents are school volunteers or grassroots leaders, or have church or clan links.

There is also balloting in Phase 2C - the most competitive phase - which is for children with no connections to schools.

In the past, some of the more sought-after schools have had as few as 20 places combined in both these phases.

The last school to hold a ballot at Phase 2A2 was Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) 19 years ago.

However, this year's early rush for places is not as big a headache for parents as it sounds.

 It will mean that those registering in the later phases will have at least 40 guaranteed spots up for grabs in their choice schools.

Madam Jennyfer Aw's six-year-old daughter faces a ballot at Henry Park Primary - the alma mater of both her parents.

"My daughter is the oldest of three children. I have two younger boys, who are four years old and six months old, so it's crucial which school she gets into," said Madam Aw, 32, a housewife.

"By the time we heard about the new rule, it was too late to join the alumni association."

If her daughter misses out on a place at Henry Park, Madam Aw said she plans to enrol her in one of the schools near her Punggol flat - Horizon Primary, Edgefield Primary or Punggol View Primary.

Meanwhile, parents at other schools were relieved to have secured places for their children.

Mr Tan Boon Gim, 41, who registered his six-year-old son Gregory at Catholic High School in Bishan, is relieved not to face a ballot. The school has 24 children registering for 28 places.

"When the new rule was announced last year, my wife and I realised that those registering in Phase 2A2 might be squeezed out," said Mr Tan, who runs a property website and has another two-year-old daughter.

"We then moved house so we could be nearer to Catholic High."

Within three months of the announcement of the rule, the family moved from their house in Newton to an apartment in Sin Ming - within 2km of Catholic High.

Ms Yasmin Lazaroo's six-year-old son was given a spot at St Stephen's School in Siglap, which his father attended.

But Ms Lazaroo, 31, said she may try for a place at St Andrew's Junior School in Phase 2B.

The senior marketing and branding executive said: "It's less than 1km from my mum's place in Potong Pasir, and she looks after my son when we are at work."





Parents on tenterhooks at Pri 1 balloting
Mix of emotions at 4 popular schools in Phase 2A2 ballot following new rule
By Amelia Teng And Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 18 Jul 2014

ONE by one, as their children's names were called, each parent heaved a sigh of relief or broke into a cheer, while others not so lucky knew their chance of success was fading fast.

This was a typical scene yesterday at four popular primary schools - Henry Park, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls', Nan Hua and Radin Mas - where ballots were held for Primary 1 places.

Mr Jasper Kee was relieved his son snagged one of the 28 places that 39 children were vying for at Henry Park Primary in Bukit Timah.

"The atmosphere was very tense," said the 28-year-old manager who works in the shipping industry. "He was one of the last few to be selected so when he was called I was so relieved.

"My brother and I have good memories of Henry Park, so of course we want our children to be in the same school. Now he can at least study with his cousins who are there too.

"For the past few years, there has not been balloting at this stage, so it was quite stressful. There should have been a grace period before the new 40-places rule was implemented," he added.

The primary school registration exercise has seven phases. The phase that ended yesterday - 2A2 - is the third of these and is for children whose parents or siblings attended the school.

This year's squeeze at the four schools, which all conducted a ballot for children staying outside a 2km radius of them, is the result of a new rule that requires schools to reserve at least 40 places for the later stages. These places will be split equally between children applying in Phases 2B and 2C, which come next.

Phase 2B is for children whose parents volunteer at the school, are active grassroots leaders or have church or clan associations, and Phase 2C is for children with no ties to their schools of choice.

This is the first time since 1995 that balloting has been required at Phase 2A2, which is considered early in the registration exercise.

Mr Kee said of the new rule: "It's not very fair to old boys like us."

Madam Caroline Chew's daughter secured a place at CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School in Ang Mo Kio, where 16 children were vying for eight spots. Madam Chew's older daughter, now 17, got a place at the school through a ballot and graduated last year.

"She had a good experience, so we want our younger daughter to attend the same school," said Madam Chew, a 45-year-old pre- school teacher. "I can't believe I had to go through a ballot for both my daughters at the same school."

Those who were unsuccessful in yesterday's balloting exercise were crestfallen.

Mr Samad Samir, 45, a refinery technician, was hoping to enrol his six-year-old son in Radin Mas Primary. He was among parents of seven children who walked away disappointed.

The school had 11 children competing for just four spots.

His plan B will be to secure a spot for his son in a school near his home in Queenstown.

"After that, I will put my son on the waiting list in Radin Mas," he said. "It is the most popular school in the Bukit Merah area, and it is still my top choice."

Customer service executive Patricia Chia's six-year-old son also failed to clinch a spot at Nan Hua Primary in Clementi, which had 39 children competing for 26 places.

"We didn't expect to be so unlucky, so we haven't really planned our next step," said the 35-year- old, whose husband attended Nan Hua Primary. "We'll have to look at other primary schools near our house in Jurong, such as Rulang Primary. We'll apply in Phase 2C. But we're not kiasu (Hokkien for "afraid to lose") parents, so we're not devastated."





Fewer schools may have to hold ballot at later stages
New rule setting aside more places may be working
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 19 Jul 2014

FEWER primary schools may have to conduct balloting next week for the next stage of Primary 1 registration, Phase 2B.

This suggests that a new rule this year, which reserves a number of places for this phase and the following Phase 2C, may be working in making more spaces available at these later phases.

Going by last year's demand at this stage of the exercise, 11 primary schools - such as Catholic High in Bishan and Nanyang Primary in Bukit Timah - may need to hold a ballot.

At Catholic High, 26 children got in via Phase 2B last year. This year, it has 22 vacancies in the same phase. At Nanyang Primary, 25 children got in via Phase 2B last year. This year, it has 23 vacancies in this phase.

Phase 2B, which starts next Monday, is for children whose parents volunteer at the school, are active grassroots leaders or have church or clan associations.

At this phase last year, 24 schools held a ballot. In 2012, the figure was 28. This year, 14 schools each have fewer than 30 places for Phase 2B. Among them, five schools, including Yu Neng Primary, have just 20 vacancies each - the minimum number reserved for this phase under the new rule.

The rule set by the Education Ministry requires schools to set aside at least 40 places in Phases 2B and 2C, to be split equally between both phases.

Phase 2C, for children with no ties to the school, starts on July 30. The new rule led to balloting at an earlier stage this year than in previous years at four schools - CHIJ St Nicholas Girls', Henry Park Primary, Nan Hua Primary and Radin Mas Primary.

It was the first time since 1995 that balloting was conducted in Phase 2A2, which is for children whose parents or siblings were former pupils of the school.

The last school to ballot at Phase 2A was Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) 19 years ago.

But the rule has opened up more vacancies for children applying in the later stages at some schools.

For instance, only five children got into Henry Park Primary last year through Phase 2B, but this year, the school has 20 slots in the same phase.

CHIJ St Nicholas and Nan Hua, which had 13 and 15 successful children, respectively, in Phase 2B last year, each has 20 guaranteed places this year.





More applicants than places at 31 schools
It is one more school than in last year's Phase 2B stage
By Pearl Lee and Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 23 Jul 2014

DESPITE measures to take the heat off demand for places in popular primary schools here, 31 schools were still oversubscribed when Phase 2B of this year's Primary 1 registration ended yesterday.

This was one more than the 30 schools that were oversubscribed during the exercise last year.

Registration in Phase 2B is meant for children whose parents are school volunteers, active community leaders or have relevant church or clan associations, while Phase 2C is for children with no ties to the schools.

The Education Ministry had put in a new rule, which kicked in this year, that requires all primary schools to set aside 40 places - to be split equally between Phases 2B and 2C - before the registration exercise began.

It was introduced after some popular schools had fewer than 20 spots available for Phases 2B and 2C last year.

Out of the 30 schools that were oversubscribed in last year's Phase 2B, 24 had to go through a ballot.

The ministry will announce the schools requiring a ballot for this year's Phase 2B today.

The hot favourites that are oversubscribed this year include Ai Tong Primary, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School, Methodist Girls' School, Tao Nan School and Fairfield Methodist School.

Fairfield Methodist School was the most oversubscribed with 51 children vying for 29 spots.

Henry Park Primary, which had the hottest demand last year with only 13 places available for Phases 2B and 2C, will not face a ballot this year.

It had 22 children registering for exactly 22 places. This is the first time since 2011 that the school will not go through a ballot at this phase.

Not all schools that are oversubscribed need to conduct a ballot. For instance, if a school has 30 vacancies and 30 Singaporean children living within 1km applying for it, no balloting is needed.

Ms Rosalinda Paje, 37, narrowly escaped a ballot at Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary.

The school had 60 vacancies in Phase 2B and Ms Paje's six-year- old son was the 57th child to be registered yesterday.

The accountant, who is a permanent resident here, said: "Our house is near Catholic High and Ai Tong, but we had studied the statistics from previous years and felt that as PRs, we will not stand a chance if the schools have to ballot."

Citizens are given priority over PRs in this phase.

Over at Ngee Ann Primary, Mr Terry Ng secured a place for his daughter but not before he volunteered 40 hours of his time as a school librarian, traffic marshal and helping out with school camps.

"Ngee Ann is getting popular in recent years, but it does not usually have balloting because it's beside Tao Nan, which gets all the limelight," said the 36-year-old regular in the Singapore Armed Forces.





28 primary schools to hold ballots in Phase 2B
4 more schools than last year involved in tomorrow's exercise
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 24 Jul 2014

BALLOTING for Primary 1 places in 28 schools that were oversubscribed in Phase 2B this year will be conducted tomorrow.

This is four more than the 24 schools which had to hold a ballot at this stage last year.

Phase 2B of the Primary 1 registration exercise, which is for children of parents who are school volunteers, grassroots leaders or have church or clan links, ended on Tuesday. It is the fourth of the seven stages of primary school registration here.

A new rule was introduced by the Education Ministry this year to ensure that there will be more vacancies for children in the later stages.

Two of the 28 schools are holding a ballot for children who are permanent residents.

All primary schools are required to set aside 40 places to be split equally across Phases 2B and 2C. Phase 2C, which starts next Wednesday, is for children with no ties to the schools.

The measure was introduced after some of the more popular schools, such as Henry Park Primary in Bukit Timah, had fewer than 20 spots available for Phases 2B and 2C last year.

This has improved the situation. Henry Park, which took in only five children at this stage last year, has enough vacancies for all 22 children who applied this year and does not need to hold a ballot.

Ai Tong School, which accepted just eight children in this phase last year, has 31 vacancies for Phase 2B this year.

CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School is holding a ballot with 29 children vying for 21 spots.

The school located in Ang Mo Kio took in only 13 children in this phase last year.

The new rule, however, did not affect most schools that already had more than 20 places during Phase 2B.

For example, Catholic High School, which took in 26 children in Phase 2B last year, will see 25 balloting for 23 places this year.

Nanyang Primary School, which had 25 successful children in this phase last year, has 31 children vying for 23 spots this year.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Education told The Straits Times that the new rule is "not meant to reduce the number of balloting schools per se, as the number of schools that will ballot in any phase is dependent on the demand pattern of parents, which varies from year to year".

The setting aside of 40 places for Phases 2B and 2C is to "ensure continued open access for parents with no prior connection in all primary schools", she added.

Madam Deborah Hoi's six-year-old daughter will be one of 43 children balloting for 33 spots at Kong Hwa School.

The 43-year-old part-time auditor and her husband served nearly 100 hours - more than the 80 hours required by the school - in the past year as volunteers for the school in Guillemard Road.

They helped with various tasks like weekly storytelling sessions, events such as a lantern festival, and preparing art and craft materials.

"We chose the school as it's a three-minute walk from our home in Guillemard Road," said the mother of two.

 "It's not surprising as Kong Hwa usually has balloting. The extra 20 places had no effect. It may have affected only those schools which had fewer than 10 places in previous years," she added.

"We signed up as parent volunteers so that our daughter would have a better chance of getting into the school," she said.

"I'm not sure what our backup plan will be if she is unsuccessful in the ballot."





Over half of places taken at 86 schools
Phase 2B ballot: 9 popular schools more than 80% full
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 26 Jul 2014

BALLOTING in the latest stage of Primary 1 registration ended yesterday with 86 schools filling more than half of their available places.

Anglo-Chinese School (Primary), for instance, has 30 out of 240 spots left, while Singapore Chinese Girls' Primary School has 28 out of 200 places remaining.

They are among nine popular schools - such as Ai Tong and Catholic High in Bishan, Radin Mas Primary in Bukit Merah, and Rosyth in Serangoon - that have more than 80 per cent of their total places for next year's intake snapped up.

Twenty-eight out of 187 primary schools were oversubscribed and had to hold a ballot under Phase 2B - the fourth of seven registration stages - for children whose parents are school volunteers, grassroots leaders, or have church or clan links.

The 40 hours spent volunteering at Hong Wen School paid off for Mr Alan Liew when his six-year-old daughter got a place after yesterday's ballot. The school in Bendeemer had 56 children vying for 47 spots.

"There were so many people inside the balloting area, parents and even grandparents," said Mr Liew, a 38-year-old trader.

"In the last year, my wife and I did various activities like helping children cross the road, putting on makeup for pupils' performances and helping out at the school's Sports Day.

"As we did volunteer work at the school, we found out more about it and we like its focus on Chinese values. It's also within 1km of our home," he said.

Many other parents, however, had their hopes dashed.

One father, who declined to be named, was disappointed when his daughter failed to get a place at Kong Hwa School, where 43 children were vying for 33 spots.

"My wife and I did almost 100 hours of volunteer work at the school, which is about 200m away from our home, and it's really wasted," he said. "There were two sets of twins at the ballot, and they took up two extra seats. The system is unfair; they should just open up two more slots instead of depriving another two children from other families of a place in the school."

This year, parents hoping to clinch a spot in hot favourites such as Henry Park Primary in the next stage, Phase 2C, may stand a greater chance because of a new rule that ensures more places for children in the later stages.

Phase 2C, which starts next Wednesday, is for children with no ties to the schools.

The rule introduced by the Education Ministry this year requires all primary schools to reserve 40 places to be split equally in Phases 2B and 2C.

This has resulted in more spots in some popular schools. For instance, Henry Park Primary, which had only eight vacancies under Phase 2C last year, has 21 slots this year.

Ai Tong, which had seven spots under the same phase last year, has 30 this year.

CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School and Nan Hua Primary have 20 and 21 places respectively for Phase 2C this year, up from 12 and 15 last year.

Phase 2C is known as the most competitive round as it is open to the most number of children - those ineligible under the four earlier phases, which are for those with connections to a particular school.

Last year, 90 schools held a ballot at this stage.





Phase 2C: 59 primary schools oversubscribed
Stiff competition as Phase 2C of Primary 1 registration exercise starts
By Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 31 Jul 2014

FIFTY-NINE primary schools were oversubscribed when the first day of Phase 2C of the annual Primary 1 registration exercise closed yesterday.

These schools, which are likely to go through a ballot, include Catholic High School, Radin Mas Primary, Henry Park Primary and Maha Bodhi School. A total of 187 primary schools took part in the exercise.

Last year, 99 schools were oversubscribed by the time Phase 2C ended. This phase is for children who have no affiliations to their primary schools of choice.

The earlier phases are for children who have siblings in the school or whose parents are old boys and girls, school volunteers, or members of a clan or church affiliated to the school.

The three-day registration period is the most competitive of the exercise. In some years, as many as half of the total number of primary schools will end up having more applicants than places.

Last year, 91 of the 99 that were oversubscribed had to conduct a ballot. Parents hope the situation will improve this year because of a new rule by the Education Ministry stipulating that all primary schools reserve 20 places for Phase 2B and and 20 for 2C.

The move is to ensure there will still be spots left in popular primary schools for children who have no ties to them.

Mr Victor Hoo, 45, a funeral director, registered his six-year-old at Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) (Primary) yesterday. Mr Hoo lives in Chancery Court, less than a five-minute walk to the school, with his wife and two sons.

But with 24 children vying for 30 seats, Mr Hoo is feeling the heat. "These few days I have been monitoring the primary schools like the stock market," he said.

He is also closely watching ACS (Junior), which by last night had 72 children vying for 73 seats. The school is slightly farther away, but is his second choice.

However, his son should get priority in the phase because his home is so near the school.

"But if the competition gets too intense at ACS Primary and those living within 1km have to ballot, we might make a last-minute switch on Friday to ACS Junior," said Mr Hoo.

Phase 2C registration will end tomorrow.

Not all oversubscribed schools will need a ballot. If the number of Singaporean children vying for a place matches the number of places available, all of them will get in, and others will not be admitted. In this phase, citizens are given priority.





91 oversubscribed schools after Phase 2C
Education Ministry to release list confirming balloting on Monday
By Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 2 Aug 2014

NINETY-ONE out of 187 primary schools were oversubscribed when the most competitive portion of the annual Primary 1 registration exercise closed yesterday.

Schools that received more applications than places when Phase 2C ended included Temasek Primary in Bedok, Mee Toh School in Punggol and Nan Chiau Primary in Sengkang.

Most of the 91 schools are likely to go through a ballot. However, the Education Ministry will release a list confirming this on Monday.

The schools conducting a ballot will do so on Wednesday.

At this time last year, 99 primary schools had more applicants than places, and 91 of them had to go through a ballot.

The fewer oversubscribed schools this time could be due to a new Education Ministry rule that kicked in this year.

All primary schools have to reserve 20 places each in Phase 2B and Phase 2C to ensure that even popular schools have places left for children with no ties to them.

The current phase, the fifth of seven, is for children with no affiliations to their preferred primary schools.

The previous phase, 2B, was for children of school volunteers, grassroots leaders, or members of an affiliated church or clan. The earlier ones were for siblings of current or former pupils, and children whose parents attended the primary schools too.

 Rulang Primary in Jurong West and Rosyth School in Serangoon were the most oversubscribed schools yesterday. Rulang had 98 children applying for 29 places, while Rosyth received 95 applications for 29 places. Horizon Primary in Punggol will have the most number of disappointed parents, with 177 applicants for 96 places during Phase 2C.

Toa Payoh resident Elaine Loo, 34, registered her six-year-old daughter at nearby CHIJ Primary in Toa Payoh, which had 74 children applying for 53 spots.

The designer and mother of two girls said: "I like this school because it is near, and it has a very strong choir. It is also good in performing arts, and my daughter enjoys doing things like that.

"I just want to enrol my daughter in a safe school, where she has a high chance of entering. I hope to avoid having to go through a ballot."

If her plan fails, she will enrol her daughter at the nearby Marymount Convent School, which still had 42 spaces left last night.





Phase 2C: 86 schools to hold ballot
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 5 Aug 2014

FEWER primary schools will be drawing lots to allocate places for the latest stage of the Primary 1 registration this week.

This year, 86 schools, down from 91 last year, will have to conduct a ballot tomorrow for Phase 2C, which is for children with no ties to their school of choice.

Earlier phases are for children with siblings who are current or former pupils or have parents who are alumni or school volunteers, have church or clan associations, or are grassroots leaders.

Some of the schools which require a ballot are Ai Tong School in Bishan, where 49 children have signed up for 31 places, and Mee Toh School in Punggol, with 123 children registering for 58 spots.

Of the 86 schools, 65 are holding a ballot for Singaporean children. The rest are for children who are permanent residents.

That fewer schools need to conduct a ballot in this phase could be because of a new rule this year.

All primary schools have to set aside 40 places, split equally between Phases 2B and 2C before the start of the registration exercise, to ensure there are places at popular schools for children with no connections to them.

Phase 2B is for children whose parents are school volunteers, grassroots leaders, or have church or clan links.

Last year, hot favourites such as Henry Park Primary and Ai Tong had just eight and seven spots respectively in Phase 2C.





Pri 1 balloting: Mum vexed over another failure
By Pearl Lee and Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 7 Aug 2014

MADAM Hoi, 43, had hoped that it would be second-time lucky at Kong Hwa School's Primary 1 balloting yesterday. The housewife, who gave only her surname, had together with her husband put in 100 hours as volunteers at the school. But they failed to get a spot for their six-year-old daughter in the Phase 2B balloting two weeks ago.

The story repeated itself yesterday, when the school conducted a ballot for children under Phase 2C of the registration exercise. Sixty-six children vied for 35 places at Kong Hwa and Madam Hoi's daughter was not one of the 35.

Phase 2C - the fifth of seven registration phases - is for children with no ties to the primary schools. The earlier Phase 2B is for children whose parents are school volunteers, grassroots leaders, or are members of an affiliated church or clan.

"We are very disappointed... We have lived here for more than 10 years, and the school is within walking distance," said the mother of two.

The other school within a 1km radius of her home is Geylang Methodist School, which is also oversubscribed by now. "Our daughter will have to take the school bus instead of just walk," she said.

In total, 86 schools had to conduct a ballot yesterday. They include Bishan's Catholic High School and Westwood Primary in Jurong. Parents who failed to secure a spot in Phase 2C will have to register in Phase 2C supplementary.

An IT consultant, 31, who had registered his six-year-old son at Maris Stella High in Bartley, is still looking for a school. The Seletar resident, who wanted to be known only as Mr Chew, said he planned to move to Bartley. His child was left out in Phase 2C as the school conducted balloting only for residents living between 1km and 2km of the school. The father of three is now considering Cedar Primary, which still has 18 places. "We're optimistic... despite (Cedar) being more than 2km away."





Move top schools out of Bukit Timah
The Government is taking steps to prevent popular schools from becoming 'closed circles', but more can be done to ensure student diversity
By Sandra Davie Senior Education Correspondent, The Straits Times, 7 Aug 2014

PHASE 2C, the most competitive part of the Primary 1 school registration exercise, ended yesterday with 86 oversubscribed primary schools having to conduct a ballot to allocate places. Last year, 91 schools had to ballot for places under Phase 2C.

The slight drop has been attributed to the change in rules for Primary 1 registration this year but further analysis of the figures shows that this may not be the case. It is more likely due to the fluctuations in demand from year to year.

The rule change sets aside 20 places for pupils in Phase 2B for parent volunteers and those with church and clan connections and another 20 for Phase 2C, which applies to parents with no connections to the school.

Together, the 40 places are meant to ensure even top schools have places for those with no alumni connections to the school. Earlier phases are for children whose parents or siblings are former pupils.

The rule setting aside 20 places each in Phases 2B and 2C is meant to halt a trend in which popular schools were becoming "closed circles" for a select few.

Even Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has acknowledged the problem. Referring to Henry Park Primary School last year, where fewer than 10 places were left for those without connections, he said: "If we do nothing, one day, these schools may have no places at all for those with no connections. We don't want our primary schools to become closed institutions, and you can only get in if your parents had been there."

Many parents think that the Ministry of Education (MOE) should go further and that the current rule should be inverted: Only 40 places should be set aside for those with alumni connections to the school. The rest should be left open.

They may have a point.

Let's take Henry Park, for example. This year, for Phase 2C, only 22 places were left and 50 parents registered. The school held a ballot yesterday to give out the remaining places.

Last year, eight places were left for Phase 2C. That means that despite the rule change, only 14 more places went to those without any connections to the school this year.

If you were to study the figures for Phases 2A(1) and 2A(2) - the phases that apply to alumni - then more than 100 places at several popular schools, including Henry Park, Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) and Ai Tong, went to alumni.

We have to ask ourselves: Should so many places go to the alumni? Is this a healthy trend? Especially when we are trying to change the student mix in top schools to include children from different races and socio-economic backgrounds.

The situation would be very different if only 40 places were allocated to the phases covering alumni, volunteers and those with clan or church links.

This would free up more places - at least 100 - for those without connections and foster a student mix that is more diverse.

Of course, there is the argument that former pupils and parent volunteers help build up and strengthen the schools' traditions and ethos.

But it is well-known, and clan officials confirm it, that many parents who take up membership just before the registration are hardly ever seen again.

Of course, whatever new rule is set, parents will try and find a way around it. In fact, this year many alumni parents moved nearer the schools of their choice to hedge their bets. If the number of applications exceeds places in any of the phases for Primary 1 registration, those living near the school will have priority.

So you can expect that if the scheme is changed to allow more places for Phase 2C, then many more parents will buy or rent residences near the schools of their choice.

Many popular schools are located in Bukit Timah, which has scant public housing and where property prices are among the highest. Basing admission criteria on distance therefore ends up privileging the rich.

But as many have argued before, the problem can be overcome if some of these schools are relocated to neighbourhoods which have a mix of different housing types.

The MOE can perhaps reveal the population mix of schools like Rosyth, which stands in Serangoon North Avenue 4, in the middle of three- to five-room flats.

Has locating Rosyth in an HDB estate led to a more diverse student population than the likes of Nanyang Primary or the Anglo-Chinese Primary schools?

And how about moving the lesser-known neighbourhood schools to Bukit Timah? They may flourish with the support of the community around them and become "good schools" over the years.

Lack of diversity in schools is a serious problem. As sociologists have warned, it perpetuates advantages from one generation to the next and serves to heighten social inequality. In elite schools, peers form exclusive circles, share resources and hoard opportunities.

The networks they form yield benefits beyond graduation - to land the right job, for one thing.

 A more serious outcome of all this is that students grow up not understanding the plight of the poor or disadvantaged. A social worker friend recently recounted how a group of students from a top school complained of how HDB rental flats "are an assault on their olfactory senses".

Changing the criteria to lessen the advantage for parents with school connections will no doubt incur their ire.

But it is necessary if we want to rebalance the poor student-population mix quite evident in the popular schools.

The move this year to reserve 40 places is a good first step. But to really have a more diverse mix, MOE should look into relocating top schools out of the Bukit Timah belt and spreading them out across Singapore.





What school you go to really doesn't matter

SOME 50 years ago, my mother, a woman ahead of her time, made sure that all her four children were enrolled in so-called "elite" schools.

Our HDB block was right next door to two neighbourhood schools and a short walk from a third. It would have been much easier for her, a full-time housewife with no domestic helper, to have enrolled us in one of these. Instead, she made the school run into town and across the island every day, for each of her children.

Never having had any formal education herself, she wanted what she viewed as the best for her children.

She was probably right - in the Singapore of 50 years ago.

I now run a small legal practice and, like most small and medium-sized enterprises, have had my fair share of hiring woes. I have, however, had the privilege of working with a succession of interns and a trainee coming from a whole spectrum of educational and family backgrounds.

Having worked with these young people, I now firmly believe that in the Singapore of today, the primary school you go to really does not matter. What is paramount is the family and the parenting.

If the family provides a stable environment, then cream, as well as character, rises to the top, whether the child comes from a school in the industrial reaches of Woodlands or the "elite" leafy shade of Bukit Timah.

As an employer and small business owner, I would like to reassure parents that the primary school your child goes to really does not matter, and that the angst over relocating "elite" schools and redistributing places in them is unnecessary ("Move top schools out of Bukit Timah"; last Thursday).

Just provide your children with a stable environment, and our education system will take care of the rest.

 Josephine Chong Siew Nyuk (Ms)
ST Forum, 14 Aug 2014





Many P1 places still available in latest phase
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 13 Aug 2014

AFTER the first day of the latest phase of Primary 1 registration yesterday, 80 of 94 schools still have places left.

For Phase 2C Supplementary, 11 schools are already oversubscribed with the possibility of a ballot being held next Tuesday. Another three have the same number of applicants as available places and may also need balloting if more apply today - the last day for registration in this phase.

This phase is for Singaporeans and permanent residents who have not secured places for their children.

The 11 oversubscribed schools include Woodlands Ring Primary School, where nine children applied for eight spots, Marymount Convent in Toa Payoh, which had 52 children signing up for 42 places, and Greendale Primary School in Punggol, with 93 children chasing 86 vacancies.

 Pei Tong Primary School, the only school in Clementi with vacancies, saw 54 children applying for 51 places.

Another three schools, including Yishun Primary School, have now filled all their places and may also need a ballot if more children apply.

When registration for the previous phase ended last week, 93 of the country's 187 primary schools were full.





PHASE 2C SUPPLEMENTARY
Balloting likely at 21 primary schools
Second try in a Pri 1 registration ballot for some parents next Tuesday
By Amelia Teng, The Straits Times, 14 Aug 2014

TWENTY-ONE out of 94 schools were oversubscribed yesterday, in the latest phase of the Primary 1 registration exercise, and parents eyeing those schools face the possibility of a ballot next Tuesday.

Pei Tong Primary, the only school in Clementi with available places at this stage, had 56 children applying for 51 vacancies.

Other schools included Bedok Green Primary, which had 64 children gunning for 58 spots. The current Phase 2C Supplementary, the sixth out of seven stages, is for Singaporeans and permanent residents who have not yet secured places for their children.

Earlier stages - Phases 1 to 2C - were for children with links to their schools of choice, such as through siblings, or parents who are alumni or school volunteers.

Mrs May Wong's daughter was one of 16 children bidding for 14 spots at Haig Girls' School. She could face a ballot next week.

If so, it would be her second, after an unsuccessful ballot in Phase 2C last week at Kong Hwa School, which is within 1km of her Geylang condominium.

Mrs Wong had also tried to apply for Tanjong Katong Primary, which advised her to try another school as it was oversubscribed. She did not realise she had qualified for an earlier phase for alumni parents as her former school, Fowlie Primary, had merged with two others to become Tanjong Katong Primary, until the school told her. By then, it was too late.

"Balloting all depends on luck," said the 35-year-old freelance jewellery designer.

Another parent, Madam Yen Chua, 43, an artist, registered her daughter at Marymount Convent School but may also face a ballot as it had 59 children vying for 42 places. She failed to get a place at Raffles Girls' Primary in a ballot last week.

"This has been very stressful. I've been checking registration statistics every day," said Madam Chua.

Mrs Goh T.T., 44, enrolled her son at New Town Primary after looking for a school "where children are accepted for their abilities and not just pushed to do well". Her son, who has Asper-ger's syndrome, failed in a ballot last week at Nanyang Primary, which is within 1km of her new Farrer Road condominium.

Mrs Goh, who works in a bank, said: "We're just disappointed that my son can't go to a school within walking distance."

 Principals said parents must choose schools that match their children's strengths and interests.

Blangah Rise Primary principal Matthew Ou said parents should look for things such as the school's programmes, co-curricular activities and classroom environment. He said: "Sometimes it's good to speak to the students of the school, or even the staff. Visit the school if it has an open house. All these will provide a more complete perspective."

Mrs Joyce Ang, principal of Da Qiao Primary, said parents must find out about a school's philosophy and approach to learning.

She said: "It's about the child being happy in a school and being able to grow well there."





* Move to reserve 40 spots for non-alumni in Primary 1 registration has worked: Heng
The Education Minister told Parliament that without the rule, there would be even fewer places available to students who do not have prior connection to the schools.
By Chitra Kumar, Channel NewsAsia, 8 Sep 2014

The newly-instituted rule requiring each school to set aside 40 places for Phases 2B and 2C of the Primary 1 registration process has fulfilled its intent, said Education Minister Heng Swee Keat on Monday (Sep 8) in Parliament.

This year, every school had to set aside 20 spots each - for Phase 2B and 2C - before the start of the Primary 1 registration exercise. The Education Ministry said this was to ensure access to popular schools remains open.

With four primary schools having had to conduct balloting in Phase 2A(2), Mr Heng said that if not for the new rule, there would be fewer than 40 places in each of these four schools that are open to students without prior connection to the schools.

“Some schools may in the future run the risk of not having any access at Phase 2B and 2C,” he added.

He said the current criteria has met the needs of most parents well, and making further changes at this point would not be meaningful. What is most important is that every student receives good quality and holistic education, regardless of which school he or she attends, he added.



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