Opinions of the Primary School Registration System

[benten2011]

galleria:

Kissgurami:

[quote=\"galleria\"]Honestly speaking, I think this system sucks.... If I have got the moolahs, high chance is i will send my kid to overseas as international student to study instead of staying here... Since it does not matter if I am a SG citizen or PR, also do not have any exclusive priority...

errr... I have a SG friend in UK.. it isn't that easy as having moolah. The good schools conduct home visits to check the living environment, you need to do PV as well and whether your \"background\" is good enough.

I can only say, my friend is more stressed than I am...

Hi kissgurami,

Another way shows that the country/school ensure that the locals have priority over PRs n foreigners. But do u think SG does that. PRs here can have rights by just registering and ballot with locals n if got ballot in means that their kids are able to study in public schools.[/quote]Well currently PR's are more visible under Phase 2C> It will be a matter time PR numbers will also increase dramatically under Phase 2B, Phase 2A1 and 2A2 and Phase 1. For example what is stopping PR 's registering under Phase 2B for PV, grassroots or clans? Just a single ballot slip? People like me who have kids registering in the near future are going to face even more pressure. :scared:

[Busymom]

smurf:

If u have time, you can PV, you u dun, you fork out money to buy expensive house near famous sch. Got difference meh? Some people really cannot afford time.

However, you are suggesting that the nearest should get a place. If that is the case, only the ones who has more money would be able to get their kids into the school of choice by living nearest to the school. If you don't have money but willing to sacrifice your time to PV, you don't even get that chance. This is good? :?

[Busymom]

ksi:

3Boys:

The problem is with the increasing flood of applicants at Phase 2A (children of alumni).

I am not sure where you get the info from but statistically in our school, the majority that takes up the vacancies are the siblings group, not the alumni.

I found another statistics for Pei Hwa here reflecting siblings take up most of the seats: http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=4407&start=12930

I would rather give credit to the gahmen for a successful 'procreation' incentive to increase the population so much so that many people are having multiple children.

Or rather than the \"procreation incentive\", maybe not all are citizens, yeah? :idea:

[Jav]

A couple of observations and further suggestions after going through the whole registration process:


1. Keep Phase 1 - for siblings priority registration

2. Abort Phase 2A(1), 2A(2), however priority should still be given to the staff, Advisory & Management committee member of the school. There shouldn’t be because parent is an ex-student, the children have priority over, look at all those students which stay at the end of Singapore are coming to Bukit Timah despite long distance travelling. And these left with little places for genuine parents which stay nearby. As a result, these parents have to sign up with the schools of further distance and possibly, need to travel long distance to other neighbourhood school as well. At the end, the children are the ones suffering with lack of sleep and need to wake up early!

3. Abort Phase 2B - most PV & GRL become volunteers with intention to gain priority in P1 reg and not genuinely volunteering. Similarly, should a member of clan or church have the priority over? With this route, everyone will just try to barge their way in.

4. Be strict with those parents not genuinely stay at the address according to their IC. I have heard many stories that many parents would change their address during the first week of the school. It’s amazing to see every year, never fail that at least 250 new families with school going kids, will sprout in Newton/Novena to be within 1 km of the popular schools. These numbers keep increasing every year.

Now, I just wonder how long MOE can close their eyes on this treatment! If the authority wants to get their act up, it’s not difficult to obtain these datas and gel the whole picture. While Chief has done a v good job in Kiasuparents.com, I don’t see why MOE can’t!

5. Even though Singaporeans have an extra slip more than PR, it still does not put Singaporean having more priority than PR. When you are lucky, you are just lucky to be drawn. If PR is allowed to have the same priority in the same phase with S’porean, then cap the percentage of PR in each phase.

6. Some schools are famous for certain reasons, and they must be good that’s why they are popular. Heard from colleague of 2 schools at Tampines, Yumin is not popular and left with many untaken seats, while the school just next to it, Chongzheng is overly subscribed. I just wonder why the 2 schools are not merged up and under the management of Chongzheng, it would then creates more seats with better management, parents are happier & pupils are benefited. Those un-popular schools are unpopular because they are mismanaged, can’t the un-popular school leverage from the popular school, learn from the popular school’s management or just simply have the popular school manage and train the teacher of the un-popular one, sometimes it is just the branding, eg. we have many ACS schools and they are forever popular. There must be something right they have done.

I am sure all of us hope that the new Minister of Education, Mr Heng can do something to change the out-dated registration system for the better otherwise it is just a time bomb waiting to explode!

[Jas007]

benten2011:

Come on don't be dishearten my fellow singaporean. I am confident they will change the system next year after reviewing the data from these year. Fingers crossed :xedfingers:

for the sake of those who have yet to go thru P1 registration (next year and beyond) ... i hope your confidence pays off

for those in my boat, next year is already a year too late ...
this year's policy of appeasing true blue Singaporeans by giving us that extra balloting slip should never have been passed fit ...
we should have been given first priorities over New Citizens, PRs, and foreigners

having gone thru P1 reg this year, i now truly understand and can feel what last year's applicants really went thru when there was NO advantage of being Singaporeans when it comes time to choosing a school in your country over foreign imports .

[Busymom]

verykiasu2010:

to really solve the problem must also remove those who rent a place nearby to qualify by proximity and cause everyone else to enter the balloting, especially those near landed housing estates with SAP schools.

but this kind of situation are only happening in a few schools like NYPS, RGS etc

I know a few people moving to rented place to be near their choice school, not just NYPS but also for other schools in the Bukit Timah area. One can only imagine how many people out there are doing this.

[Jav]

Actually, I wonder how many PR population in the P1 registration? The data should be just at the finger tip at MOE. My take is shouldn’t be that many! To solve the problem is to build more reputable school so can take in more students since the gahmen is encouraging more births right?

[CayennePepper]

3Boys:

Am fully aware of the consequences for my progeny. But right is right, it does not change whether stands to gain or lose from it.

3Boys :salute: I must say, your perspective is refreshing. I made the same point about consequences for kids (should alumni advantage be removed) in another forum and those parents who PVed were soooooo indignant!

[MumandMe]

verykiasu2010:

In terms of number of places, MOE always made sure there is more than enough every year. It is the mis-allocation of those places....year after year, Rulang, South View, West Grove etc etc only 270 places ....all over-subscribed -- conclusion is decision makers don't know where are the demand


At least for those very popular schools - they have the largest intake of 390,360 etc

Agree. A logical and simple solution is to first increase the number of classes at these popular schools.

[mummyo]

benten2011:

Well currently PR's are more visible under Phase 2C> It will be a matter time PR numbers will also increase dramatically under Phase 2B, Phase 2A1 and 2A2 and Phase 1. For example what is stopping PR 's registering under Phase 2B for PV, grassroots or clans? Just a single ballot slip? People like me who have kids registering in the near future are going to face even more pressure. :scared:

IMHO, they are already very visible in 2B. I was PV and I've noticed many PRs PV also.

They are just playing within the system, if they PV, they get ahead of the Singaporeans in 2C.

Most popular schools are looking at only having 1 class worth of vacancies in 2C or less. This is ridiculous. There should be a minimum quota of vacancies set aside for 2C and of all vacancies, there has to be a minimum quota for Singaporeans, not a free for all.