MOE Relooking P1 registration - Too much priority to alumni

[3Boys]

verykiasu2010:

hereditary or otherwise, popular school will always be popular, even if NYPS increase the intake to 1000, there will still be complaints of unfairness of not able to get in

Therein is the problem, it will be never ending, and therefore, the issue is not so much how many places there are in popular schools, as you now say (but in contradiction to your earlier position that the REDUCTION in places was the main factor), but rather, the priority admission system. That is the problem, the unfair situation in the competition for limited spaces, that one set of CHILDREN have a hereditary advantage over another.

[3Boys]

vicki:

vratenza:

[quote=\"3Boys\"]

Sentimentality does not trump fairness. There is no fairness in a hereditary system of Primary school priority admission, just because some parents have a sentimental attachment. We are a democracy, not a monarchy.

You have chosen to sieve out sentimentality among other considerations to support your argument........let's put it back in perspective:

1) sentimentality.
2) assurance from 1st hand experience with regards to the actual school culture, programs and level of stress bestowed upon the students.
3) familiarity in terms of school staff, teaching style and environment giving the parents assurance that the child is in safe and familiar hands.
4) confidence in the school achieving the results because you had been through the same system.
5) avoid PV and balloting.

alumni = monarchy? might as well add in communism to for the added drama?

Im not really catching you, Vratenza.

So you think its is fairness to give ABSOLUTE PRIORITY to the alumnis for the above reasons??

Too bad - lesser Singaporeans who never went to such schools - you cant join in the crowd because you werent from there although you pay tax (like every other SG) and indirectly fund these schools.

Ok -- i am soooooo going to be slammed in my face....

Better siam first. :siam:[/quote]Yeah, it seems that the concept is that since one had such a great time at one's old school, the kids should be granted automatic priority. Since one had such a great experience, may I propose sharing it around to kids form other families? In fact, I propose that being in the school grants automatic EXCLUSION to the next generation.....how about that? :evil:

[dorisp]

lim72:

Read this http://www.tremeritus.com/2012/03/30/why-are-foreigners-allowed-to-join-alumnis/ to find out the true objective of having Alumni.

Interesting.........this is from the article:

\"....Unfortunately In Singapore , such things mean its interpreted differently like nepotism, white horse system, favouritism,cronyism.

Sorry dudes. This just doesn’t work here, because there are others like Muslims Hindus with their own belief system.

So please scrap the system . Alumnus is fine but there shouldn’t be advantages to school enrolment because purpose for the alumni is not for this . Its for maintaining connections with the social environment.

I already foresee many of these PRs like Indians and PRCs who don’t have a slightest idea of christian culture may exploit the alumnus system......\"

:scared:

[vicki]

vicki:

My mention of tax was to imply that we all 'pay' to the govt (irregardless of tax brackets) - so i dont see why 'too much' benefit should be given to anyone group based on personal reasons such as those you mention...

Foreigners and PRs pay tax too...some even more than the average SC joes...... and I am hazarding a guess tat you support SC first policy right? So it's totally inappropriate to bring it into the picture.

What's next? COE system for P1 registration? :yikes: :yikes: :yikes:[/quote]

Nah - i was quite ok with the previous policy of PRs with SG and Foreigners at P3 - cos i dont believe the portion (for PR) is that significant and by P3 - well - all SGs would be in a schol liao.

It would be interesting to see the SG vs PRs figures though...

COE system/ tax brackets - all these are '$$' related so i will strongly oppose if we will to go that route.

[vratenza]

vicki:

so i dont see why 'too much' benefit should be given to anyone group based on personal reasons...

I want to send my child to the nearest school so that he can sleep more and wake up later.

I want to send my child to the nearest school so that don't have to pay the increasing school bus fee.

I want my child to enter this school so that my parents can look after him while I am at work.

I want to my child to enter this school because his tuition center or enrichment class will be nearby and walk over immediately after school.

Any of these are not PERSONAL reasons?

[3Boys]

vratenza:

vicki:

so i dont see why 'too much' benefit should be given to anyone group based on personal reasons...

I want to send my child to the nearest school so that he can sleep more and wake up later.

I want to send my child to the nearest school so that don't have to pay the increasing school bus fee.

I want my child to enter this school so that my parents can look after him while I am at work.

I want to my child to enter this school because his tuition center or enrichment class will be nearby and walk over immediately after school.

Any of these are not PERSONAL reasons?

But none of those grant hereditary perpetaul PRIORITY, geddit? There are good reasons to prioritize on distance, and in some cases those poor folk who happen to live near a school are displaced because alumni have come in to grab the slots, and they are forced to do long commutes.

[3Boys]

3Boys:

verykiasu2010:

hereditary or otherwise, popular school will always be popular, even if NYPS increase the intake to 1000, there will still be complaints of unfairness of not able to get in

Therein is the problem, it will be never ending, and therefore, the issue is not so much how many places there are in popular schools, as you now say (but in contradiction to your earlier position that the REDUCTION in places was the main factor), but rather, the priority admission system. That is the problem, the unfair situation in the competition for limited spaces, that one set of CHILDREN have a hereditary advantage over another.

Further, the reading that Phase 1 takes most of the places compared to alumni also hides the facts that likely a fair number of those who are in phase 1 are already in because their elder sibling benefited from the alumni entry. E.g, if school X has 80 slots taken in Phase 1 (siblings etc.) and 20 in alumni phase, guess how many of those in the initial Phase 1 got into the school due to 'child of alumni' priority? You do the math, its P2-P6, my guess is easily a third to half.

[vicki]

vratenza:

vicki:

so i dont see why 'too much' benefit should be given to anyone group based on personal reasons...

I want to send my child to the nearest school so that he can sleep more and wake up later.

I want to send my child to the nearest school so that don't have to pay the increasing school bus fee.

I want my child to enter this school so that my parents can look after him while I am at work.

I want to my child to enter this school because his tuition center or enrichment class will be nearby and walk over immediately after school.

Any of these are not PERSONAL reasons?

Yes, these are all personal reasons.

So i'm clamouring for more balance against personal reasons of a selected group of pple (the alumni) - who at the moment have a total free hand.

'Share the pie with thy neighbour abit more'.

[verykiasu2010]

3Boys:

verykiasu2010:

hereditary or otherwise, popular school will always be popular, even if NYPS increase the intake to 1000, there will still be complaints of unfairness of not able to get in

Therein is the problem, it will be never ending, and therefore, the issue is not so much how many places there are in popular schools, as you now say (but in contradiction to your earlier position that the REDUCTION in places was the main factor), but rather, the priority admission system. That is the problem, the unfair situation in the competition for limited spaces, that one set of CHILDREN have a hereditary advantage over another.

I don't contradict

Reduction of places is the main problem for those schools that run out of places after the alumni phase. If not for the push for single session and to reduce class size to 30, the schools could have been able to take in more. In the case of NYPS, even it was reduced from 420 to 390, they don't run out of places after alumni phase, in some years balloting only needed for those outside of 2km. If you read my earlier posts, I suggested that those sleeping alumni should be in phase 2C with the open category

Even if the intake is raised to 1,000, presumably able to satisfy all imaginary alumni, and even all PV, there still won't be enough places, popularity is also another issue -- some die hard parents die die want to send their kids to those popular schools. Some schools had lots of alumni, but not as popular as others

[vratenza]

3Boys:

vratenza:

the ABSOLUTE PRIORITY at this point in time are the P1. there is no Absolute priority for P2 at this stage...you can argue till the cows come home on the CAP vs no CAP issue, that's not my fight.

And the list I proposed are just reasons why some parents prefer to choose their alumni for their children. Please read the post carefully and refrain from altering my intentions.

Please do not start stirring the hornet's nest on taxpayer money argument. Some one will come along and ask you which tax bracket are you paying this year.....do you really want to go there?

So some parent's preference is sufficient to become a priority then?

Bill Gates did a great job for Microsoft, he loves the place, they love him = His son has a straight shot to the CEO position then?

Just because one had a rollicking time at one's old school, and one PREFERS that his child attends that school, DOES NOT mean that priority should then be granted.

It is a public school system, paid for in taxes by ALL Singaporeans, why should one set of children have priority over another, on the basis of, yes, I say again, SENTIMENT.

once again do not re-interpret my intentions. I am just explaining some reasons that parents have to prefer to send their children back to their alumnus.....I did not say they are accorded the priority based on these reasons.... :slapshead:

If one singaporean PREFERS to have his child study in a popular school, he bought a property <1km paying a premium for this proximity to increase his chance of entering the school. Now we are dealing with 1) Personal PREFERENCE and 2) Financial clout. And if you add PV to the mix, 3) luxury of time

as mentioned in my reply to another poster, whether you pay tax or not is inconsequential compared to the fact that you are SC. Do not bring paying tax into the discussion to fan the flame.
Foreigners, workpass holders, PRs all pay tax....the underpriviledged SC do not pay tax...so what say you?