MOE Relooking P1 registration - Too much priority to alumni
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\"The Ministry of Education is understood to be studying how to improve the Primary 1 registration scheme, which has been criticised for giving too much priority to children with connections to the school.\"
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_769769.html
Not to gloat....but.....
Hooray Hooray Hooray!! :boogie: :boogie: :rahrah: :rahrah:
:dancing: -
this is way overdue…other than this, they should remove volunteers priority also.
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smurf:
this is way overdue...other than this, they should remove volunteers priority also.
Agree 110%
:dancing:
You may know I have been vociferous about this.... -
welcome the idea too
so what is the full story?
i didn’t subscribe to ST -
The Ministry of Education is understood to be studying how to improve the Primary 1 registration scheme, which has been criticised for giving too much priority to children with connections to the school.
It revealed the move in a letter to a school administration manager, who wrote to it late last year suggesting changes to the scheme.
In the ministry's letter, made public in an online teachers' forum, an official said the ministry was 'studying various options to improve the P1 registration framework'.
She also said any changes may take some time to be studied and implemented, as suggestions from various groups would have to be considered carefully.
\t\t
She added that the scheme aims to allocate school places according to a set of fair and transparent criteria that are in the child's educational interests.
Asked about this on Wednesday, the ministry said it reviews the P1 registration framework regularly, taking into consideration public feedback.
A spokesman added that the system was last changed in 2010 to give Singaporean citizens priority over permanent residents. The Primary 1 registration scheme underwent a major revamp in 1999 to give greater priority to parents who are active in schools.
Former students who joined their schools' alumni associations were given priority over other old boys and girls when it came to getting their children into the school. Parent volunteers had to serve a minimum of 40 hours to qualify.
There are six phases in the registration process, with siblings of children already in a school getting top priority. Next come the children of alumni, parent volunteers or those with church or clan connections.
They are followed by all Singaporeans and permanent residents, with non-citizens last in the pecking order. If any phase is oversubscribed, priority is given to those who live nearby.
Parents have complained that the later stages often end up with more applicants than available places.
Last year, close to half of Singapore's 173 primary schools had to hold ballots and there were children who could not get into schools near their homes.
Others have complained that the scheme is unfairly weighted in favour of alumni - some of whom may not play an active role in the school - and those with church or clan connections.
Some parents want more places allocated to Phase 2C, for those without any ties to the school. Others want the ministry to stop giving priority to any group, and open all places to a ballot.
But the loudest calls have been to give priority to children living closest to the school of their choice.
Two years ago, two MPs raised this suggestion in Parliament, saying that they knew of children who could not get into schools very near their homes.
At the time, the ministry said it would not change the rule as those who live within 1km of the school are already given priority. It said guaranteeing places to those who live very close by would place unnecessary constraints on the system.
Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, on Wednesday agreed that the phase prioritising alumni does not distinguish between parents who contribute to the school and those who are 'sleeping members' who merely joined the alumni association.
'That's something that the ministry should look at to make it a fairer system,' he said.
Six out of eight parents interviewed on Wednesday supported any move to review the scheme.
Business executive Zachary Teo, 40, said he moved to Serangoon North to be close to popular Rosyth School, but he was not sure that his two children would get in.
'It will be ridiculous if I can't get a place at Rosyth and have to send my son by school bus to a school in Ang Mo Kio or Hougang,' he said.
[email protected] -
Actually, to take it a step further and to truly level the playing fields, affiliations to secondary schools and junior colleges should also be removed. This will ensure that the pupils who took PSLE are given fair and equal chances at any schools.
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it is a step in the right direction, but IMHO too early to celebrate.
Whatever scheme they come up with, some with be happy and some will be pissed.
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[quote]Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, on Wednesday agreed that the phase prioritising alumni does not distinguish between parents who contribute to the school and those who are 'sleeping members' who merely joined the alumni association.[/quote]
i guess this is the main trigger -
agree to phrase out the parent volunteers phrase! i count myself lucky for not having to go through it!
but one of my gf, in order to secure her son’s place…has already clocked more than 150 hrs and still clocking and that famous school in the east is super "particular" about their volunteer programme. To me…that is exploitation of the already stress parent’s time! Time which they can spend guiding their own kids! -
BlueBells:
This.
She added that the scheme aims to allocate school places according to a set of fair and transparent criteria that are in the child's educational interests.
There are six phases in the registration process, with siblings of children already in a school getting top priority. Next come the children of alumni, parent volunteers or those with church or clan connections.
What has church or clan connections anything to do with the child's educational interests??????!!
Should be removed totally!
PVs.. to some extend.. could be retained.. As parents who are active in the school understand the school system better.
And, as they contribute to the school (in terms of time and effort), it is fair that some priority be given.
This is meritocracy.. unlike connections..
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