MOE Relooking P1 registration - Too much priority to alumni

[limlim]

laughingcat:

During my schooling days, i have always travelled at most an hour to school and back as well. Worse if it is afternoon session and that means i will have to reach home by 7.30pm and quickly finished my dinner and R&R and then start doing my homework by 8.30pm. It made me a more resilient child because i learn to manage my time. Never see travelling distance as a shortcoming, rather it forces you to manage your own time. IMO, proximity to school only gives an excuse to take things for granted. Why during our time, we can do it and why not now?

Going by this line of argument,, there are parents who took leave to do PV to get their kids into the schools. There are parents who throw in everything they have to secure a nearby place for their kid's school. This, teaches them sacrifice for the greater good.

If some can do it, so can others.

\"it forces you to plan for your kid's future\". \"alumni to school only gives an excuse to take things for granted\".

Makes sense?

Ok, I don't subscribe to these arguments so it is just a remark in response to your reasonings and is not my stand.

================

The Main point is, you are okay with it doesn't mean other kids are ok with it.

To you, a longer distance may not be a big issue, but, definitely, a shorter distance is an ADVANTAGE.. isn't it? How many productive hours have been wasted on the bus/car throughout your schooling days? You may be ok with those wasted hours.. But other kids may not feel the same.

Personally, I Hate wasting time on traveling. Reading (to be more productive) on buses is definitely not good for the eyes of the young child either..

So, a short traveling distance is definitely in the best interest of the child, in terms of rest times, productivity, whatever..

I'm amazed how you can twist \"long distance\" to became \"advantage as it trains one to be resilient\"...... might as well say put Singaporeans in greater debt when owning HDB flats so that they feel \"hungry\" and will work harder to achieve higher income and not be debt free and complacent.. and then they can be competitive in the global market..

ok.. I'm just sprouting rubbish for those comment in blue..

[limlim]

laughingcat:

Lyddon:

With our world-class transportation system, how much time does it take to travel 2km or 4km? There are primary schools near home above 2km but less than 4km. It takes me 10mins drive and less than 20 mins public bus to get to either school. Within a radius of 5km, Dist ance is really not a big deal.

Good point. Our transportation system has greatly improved from 1998 to todate. MRT/LRT could be right at your doorstep and increased frequency and network of buses. With such convenience and moving forward with today good transportation, the distance priority should be reviewed in terms of 0-2km and 2-5km.

oh really?

My kids school is within 1km and time taken to go to the school takes approx 15~20mins factoring in walking, waiting time and bus traveling time. And the traffic is not that heavy for that stretch of road..

So.. what is the other advantage for nearby schools if waiting time for buses is assumed to be same (which may not be valid as nearby school might provide more than 1 parallel bus service for that stretch of road)..

Well.. Walking is AN OPTION. not so for the far far away......

[mrswongtuition]

Wow. It's been a long time I've been into this forum and reading through the comments really took some time!


It's good to see many parents worried and involved in our children's education.
Our number 1 priority as a parent is always for our kids.
So, remember that we are all parents fighting for what we think is best for our kids.
Let's not get carried away by our natural instinct to protect our kids, but step back and look at the picture as a whole.

My humble opinions (not to start any debates, but for us to sit back and mull through):
All students who studied in a particular school, be it an outstanding student or a 'trouble-maker', have contributed to the school in one way or another to make the school what it is today.
This should be recognised. The phase for ALUMNI should stay.
Whether we should differentiate paid members of alumni and old boys/girls, it shouldn't be a big problem. Priority should still go to children whose parents have studied at that school.
We make our choices based on experience. We choose to put our children at our alma mater for a reason: To allow them to learn in the same environment/culture we grew up in because we believe that is what we want for our children.

Then what about parents who did not study in a 'popular' school?
There's no doubt you also want the best for your child. You can try whatever you can to put your child in a 'popular' school.
But think again: Those who didn't study in 'top schools', look at yourself now. Aren't you a successful adult with a happy family?
I'm not saying that you must give up fighting for your child to be in a 'popular' school, but don't forget that it doesn't mean the end of the world. You tried your best at P1 registration. Education doesn't stop at successfully registering your child in a 'top school'. Education is continuous and parents need to continue supporting your children in their studies, no matter which school they are in.
(Just to share, I've spoken to parents who regretted fighting all out to put their kids in a 'top school'. PV, balloting and the nightmares - In the end, they say it's not worth it.)



My suggestions to change the system:
- No changes to existing phases. (Maybe take another look at GRLs having advantage because it is pretty unfair that they get many many many other perks too. And some are not even ACTIVE GRLs.)
- All registration done online:
1. All online registration at the beginning of the year of registration.
We can do 'pre-verification of alumni/old boy/girl status/PV' so the system has our information (for those who are so old that your Primary School/PSLE records are not on MOE's system - NO OFFENCE!!!).
2. System will automatically allocate the phase we are eligible for. We can input our top 5 choices, regardless of the phase (the system will generate which we qualify for and allocate according to our choice, subject to availability of seats).
3. Once quota hit, parents notified by email/SMS, numbers for balloting displayed clearly, allowing parents to move on to their next choice, or choose to stay on for balloting. All done online to minimise hassle.
4. Physical balloting at different schools done.
5. Balance to register at available schools.

We are living in the digital world. I'm actually quite surprised that P1 registration can't be done online, nationwide.
Of cos, for non IT-saavy parents, there will still be a kiosk at each school to allow them to do the registration. This will minimise a lot of manpower and crazy logistically planning at each school too.


Remember: We are all educated adults who love our children so much we are willing to go all out for them. Healthy discussion is good. Don't get carried away.

*PEACE*

[laughingcat]

janet_lee88:

Phase 2A2 should stay...perhaps remove the Phase 2A1 which allows old boys/girls to pay a one-time fee...this way, there will not any more 'sleeping members'.

The 'connection' for old boys/girls is an important link to the school. There will always be black sheep. Our parents may have registered us kids in schools back then, but not all of us now may put our kids in schools in the opposite end of the island.

Honestly, I don't see a big difference in phase 2A1 or 2A2. At the end of the day, the seats are still allocated to alumni. Why kick up a fuss on phase 2A1 when the school really needs funds? Don't tell me during during your schooling years, the school does not ask for funds?

[phtthp]

Excellent Words of Wisdom :salute:


:goodpost: i raise both arms & legs to support :salute: :goodpost: :rahrah:

[mrswongtuition]

laughingcat:

janet_lee88:

Phase 2A2 should stay...perhaps remove the Phase 2A1 which allows old boys/girls to pay a one-time fee...this way, there will not any more 'sleeping members'.

The 'connection' for old boys/girls is an important link to the school. There will always be black sheep. Our parents may have registered us kids in schools back then, but not all of us now may put our kids in schools in the opposite end of the island.

Honestly, I don't see a big difference in phase 2A1 or 2A2. At the end of the day, the seats are still allocated to alumni. Why kick up a fuss on phase 2A1 when the school really needs funds? Don't tell me during during your schooling years, the school does not ask for funds?

Agree. Those schools thrive because they have the funds to allow more opportunities for their students.

Off topic: Why is there no 'like' button in the forum? I'm too used to Facebook. I want to 'like' the post to show that I agree but can't. *oops*

[buds]

jedamum:

Lyddon:

With our world-class transportation system, how much time does it take to travel 2km or 4km? There are primary schools near home above 2km but less than 4km. It takes me 10mins drive and less than 20 mins public bus to get to either school. Within a radius of 5km, Dist ance is really not a big deal.

distance is not a big deal to those who got into their choice of sch that is further away.
distance is a big deal to those who cannot get into their choice of sch that is at their backyard and have to travel further for their second choice sch (until they are sold on the programme/curriculum by their second choice sch, it will remain eye sore to see other kids but their own kids walk to their choice sch).

:goodpost:

There's always two sides to a coin.

Distance is a BIG DEAL to me because it'll mean I have to lug two children n a baby during confinement (back then).. rain or shine.. via public transport, if I cannot get into a neighborhood school just behind my residence or if transport arrangements doesn't work out for a school slightly further away. Worse if need to chg two buses.. and that said haven't factor in if two children are in different sessions and have CCA commitment before/after school.. :faint:

[phtthp]

janet_lee88,


when you were a child donkey years back and your school needed funds urgently back then to build more classrooms, better teaching / sports facilities, need $ urgently to conduct certain educational programmes that can benefit the entire school cohorot, who were the people that funded all these ? Back then, it was the 2A1 folks, from that past generation, supporting you in the background all these while silently ! Didn't you receive the benefit too, when you were a child once upon a time studying in your alma mater?

likewise your P2 daughter now studying at CHIJ Toa Payoh or your son studying in Pei Hwa all these 6 years, who were the people pumping in funds to support ongoing current beneficial school going activities ? sometimes when school funds run miserably low, can't do anything like everything got stuck can't move forward, who does the school call upon to chip in funds, so that the whole engine turbine can rotate forward, get things done ? Is from the 2A1 alumni, from this current generation !

for every single penny that's contributed by 2A1 alumni, we feel so blessed! Is like $ pouring down from a window in heaven, to give us hope and encouragement, to oil our engine, get it start moving. Thank you, God. Praise God, for another precious penny dropped down from heaven. In our heart, we smiled. Got Hope! Otherwise we are stuck, can't get anything done. Things can't move foward.

for every single penny that's been collected painstakingly, the 2A1 alumni constantly brainstorm, come together hold meetings, constantly crack head - now, we've invested so many pennies. How to invest each penny collected to the best optimal use, in which kind of activity, so that all kids in the school benefit ? We draw up proposal plans, vetted and approved by school principal. At the end of every 3 to 6 months, we hold alumni meeting, report to school, report to all alumni members - checklist how each single penny has been well spent. So, aren't your 2 kids currently now at CHIJ TPY and Pei Hwa, receving similar benefit - when CHIJ TPY needs funds or when Pei Hwa needs funds? The 2A1 alumni from these 2 schools are supporting your 2 kids in the background silently, to ensure your children can receive a peaceful, smooth education without setback.

whether you support 2A1 or 2A2, we belong to the same family (2A)!
you look at your palm! The front of your palm is 2A1, the back of your palm is 2A2. But isn't it the same palm ?

in all circumstances, learn to be THANKFUL and be appreciative of the little, little things done silently in the background, in the past for you, in current times for your 2 kids. Remember: Ying Shui Shi Yin. When you drink water, think of the source of water. Don't be like that China boy, SX who \"wang en fu yi\"!

so why do you keep persecuting the 2A1 alumni?

PEACE

[Lyddon]

jedamum:

:scratchhead: when i mean school at 'backyard' i meant that the sch is just a stone's throw away from home which means that <500m walk. not necessary homes having backyard.
sorry for the confusion.
schs in HDB estates have balloting too.

Haha... thanks for clarifying.
The context of the my point and the discussion is limited to schools that are over-subscribed and distance.
There are 2 types of over-subscribed schools :
A) schools within a 0-2km neighbourhood of HDBs and private property, and
B) within a neighbourhood of only private properties.

For A), COVs of the nearby HDBs are usually well above national average, and/or constituency average. Nearby private property prices are usually also quite high compare to their \"non-nearby\" counterparts.

For B), Well... Prices are typically well above the afforability of the average man/woman on the street.

For HDBs in A) its involves orders of 10s of thousands in COV.
For private properties, we are talking about 100s, if not, millions of dollars.
*p.s. if you or your parents have a property near an over-subscribed schools that was purchased cheap, then... lucky you.

Hence, Distance cannot be the ONLY criterion, otherwise (over time) it will gradually lead to a situation where the average joe will be marginalized from these over-subscribed schools - especially so for schools of type B).

[dorisp]

The issue is \"Distance\" vs \"Connection\".


Decision making ultimately will be \"Head\" vs \"Heart\".