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Tag: registration

  • Early P1 Ballot Likely At 5 Popular Schools; Not For Malay Students

    Early P1 Ballot Likely At 5 Popular Schools; Not For Malay Students

    Parents hoping to place their six-year-olds in five of the most popular primary schools this year may face a ballot next week.

    The schools are CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School, Nanyang Primary, Nan Hua Primary, Red Swastika School and Catholic High School.

    A total of 29 schools were left with fewer than half of their vacancies after Phase 2A1, the second of seven Primary 1 registration stages, closed on Wednesday. Last year, only 19 schools were in this situation.

    The phase, which follows Phase 1 for children with siblings currently studying in the school, is for children whose parents had joined the school alumni association at least one year ago, or are on the school advisory committee.

    The next phase, 2A2, is for children whose parents or siblings are former pupils, or whose parent is a staff member at the school. Registration starts next Tuesday and ends the next day.

    A rule introduced in 2014, which requires all primary schools to set aside 40 places for children in the later stages, may also put a squeeze on places available for the next phase. The 40 places will be split equally between children registering in Phases 2B and 2C.

    In the past three years, balloting has been taking place at an earlier stage of the registration exercise, partly as a result of this new rule.

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

    After reserving the 40 places, CHIJ St Nicholas has only seven spots left for Phase 2A2, after 95 children registered this week.

    Nanyang Primary and Nan Hua Primary have 10 and 19 places respectively left for Phase 2A2, while Red Swastika and Catholic High have 23 and 31 spots respectively left for Phase 2A2.

    Communications professional Ow Yong Weng Leong successfully registered his daughter for a place at Red Swastika School this week.

    “The school offers Higher Chinese from Primary 1, so I hope it will help my daughter in becoming bilingual as she currently speaks English more,” said the 37-year-old.

     

    Editors Note:

    Based on sources, students who take Malay as a second language cannot enrol in any of the five popular primary schools namely CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School, Nanyang Primary, Nan Hua Primary, Red Swastika School and Catholic High School (https://www.moe.gov.sg/a…/primary-one-registration/vacancies). Perhaps if they make millions, one day one of them they can become President of Singapore. What a shame.

    Is the kind of elite tokenistic multiracialism the DAG believes in?

     

    Source: StraitsTimes

  • P1 Registration: Child Must Live At Declared Address For At Least 30 Months From Jul 2015

    P1 Registration: Child Must Live At Declared Address For At Least 30 Months From Jul 2015

    A new rule requiring children to live for at least 21/2 years at the addresses they used to apply for primary school has been introduced, with parents largely supportive of the change.

    Beginning this year, those who gain priority admission to schools based on distance need to live at the address for at least 30 months from the start of the Primary 1 registration exercise.

    Those with a yet-to-be-completed property also have to live at the new address for as long, but this can start only from when they move in and not from the registration, subject to certain limits.

    The Ministry of Education (MOE) did not set any specific time period previously. If this condition is not met, MOE may transfer the child to another school.

    When asked, MOE said the distance priority has always been given with the expectation that the family will live at the address declared for Primary 1 registration.

    While the MOE’s intent is that this should be for as long as the child is in primary school, it “recognised the practical challenges of imposing an explicit ‘minimum stay’ that would meet the policy intent while not making it overly onerous and rigid”.

    The news, reported by Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao yesterday, has sparked a lot of discussion. Parents felt the rule would deter people from renting homes and moving away shortly after their children get spots in schools, and said it will not affect them as they do not plan to move soon.

    But some who rented properties near schools may be stuck if their leases do not last 30 months.

    For Primary 1 registration, schools conduct a ballot when the number of applicants exceeds available places. Those who live nearer the school – usually within 1km – get priority in the ballot.

    A handful of parents have taken advantage of this to get their children into popular schools. A father who lied about where he lived to get his daughter into a top school in 2013 was given two weeks’ jail this year.

    Property agents said the rule is unlikely to affect rental or home prices. One agent, Mr Jack Tam, said those who rent places near popular schools are rare.

    Horizon Real Estates’ key executive officer Lena Low agreed, but said those who rent homes may need to get longer-term leases.

    Some who just want the address get cheaper studio apartments without living there, she said. If they have to move in now, they need a bigger place, she said.

    Housewife Shellin Tan, 38, who has a six-year-old son, said the rule is fair but “those who want brand-name schools will still find properties with longer leases or buy homes near them”.

    Mr Lim Biow Chuan, chair of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, said the rule ensures families live near their kids’ schools. But the period may be too long as some may genuinely need to move, he added.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com