MOE Relooking P1 registration - Too much priority to alumni

[phtthp]

janet_lee88:

Are you sure those kids who take bus from JB attend Nanyang? I thought I saw documentary like this before...they take buses to attend schools in woodlands area. 4 or 5am, these poor kids are already on the bus. But Nanyang?

There are kids staying in JB, non SC.
They come out very early morning cross the busy causeway attend schools in SG. Schools located in Woodlands is one area. However, not all target only Woodlands schools - no doubt Woodlands is nearest to causeway. Some also attend Nanyang primary, + some other schools along Bukit Timah belt + some other parts of SG as well, including Tampines.

http://www.edvantage.com.sg/edvantage/news/news/531420/School_s_top_student_from_across_Causeway.html

http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=4406&start=730

issue is :-
after so many years, already close to nearly 30 years or even more, why didn't they convert their child into SC, by now ? Knowing that SCs are fighting over scare, limited seats, key important issue is - going forward, do fellow Singaporeans feel that they still deserve priority ?

[pirate]

I feel our kids could learn something about resilience from those kids. We should reserve 1 place in each class for kids like that in every school.

[ana_mum]

Actually, there is nothing wrong about giving priority to alumni. However, giving unlimited vacancies to Phase 2A after the balance from Phase 1 is definitely going to be unfair to all the others that are under Phase 2B & 2C. Look at the current situation, some schools are already getting very few vacancies left for Phase 2B & 2C and in time to come, I'm very sure there will be balloting for some schools under Phase 2A. This means there will be zero vacancy left for Phase 2B & 2C. Can you imagine if you are staying in an area with only 1-2 schools within 1km and this 1-2 schools happen to be those that need balloting for Phase 2A :yikes:


Therefore, capping the number of vacancies for Phase 2A is inevitable and the authorities should look into the matter ASAP especially next year is the year where all golden piglets are going for their P1 registration.. it is going to be more challenging than this year.

[limlim]

pirate:

I feel our kids could learn something about resilience from those kids. We should reserve 1 place in each class for kids like that in every school.

one seat reserved for the PR kids to contest in P2A. Those PRs who didn't get the coveted seat can join the P2C.

[absolutwild]

TOTALLY AGREE!! whatever clan, association, alumni you are from, just make sure they are all within 1km to the school!


but still feel that clan, association and church affiliation should be scrapped!

Mdm Koh:

I don't have any objections to the alumni rule, but I hope that the schools can give more consideration to proximity. Don't get me wrong - I'm not against foreign students attending good schools or the kids of alumni members attending good schools. My concern is for the children.

Sleep is important to them and I think that they should be allowed to attend the primary school that is nearest to their homes, and not have to travel to one further away. I understand that there are many parents who find their kids shut out from the nearest school because the places have all been filled by people coming from all corners of the island. I feel that this phenomenon of primary school kids travelling further away for school will affect their rest time.

[Imami]

absolutwild:

TOTALLY AGREE!! whatever clan, association, alumni you are from, just make sure they are all within 1km to the school!

but still feel that clan, association and church affiliation should be scrapped!

Mdm Koh:

I don't have any objections to the alumni rule, but I hope that the schools can give more consideration to proximity. Don't get me wrong - I'm not against foreign students attending good schools or the kids of alumni members attending good schools. My concern is for the children.
Sleep is important to them and I think that they should be allowed to attend the primary school that is nearest to their homes, and not have to travel to one further away. I understand that there are many parents who find their kids shut out from the nearest school because the places have all been filled by people coming from all corners of the island. I feel that this phenomenon of primary school kids travelling further away for school will affect their rest time.

:hi5:

[verykiasu2010]

absolutwild:

TOTALLY AGREE!! whatever clan, association, alumni you are from, just make sure they are all within 1km to the school!


but still feel that clan, association and church affiliation should be scrapped!

Mdm Koh:

I don't have any objections to the alumni rule, but I hope that the schools can give more consideration to proximity. Don't get me wrong - I'm not against foreign students attending good schools or the kids of alumni members attending good schools. My concern is for the children.

Sleep is important to them and I think that they should be allowed to attend the primary school that is nearest to their homes, and not have to travel to one further away. I understand that there are many parents who find their kids shut out from the nearest school because the places have all been filled by people coming from all corners of the island. I feel that this phenomenon of primary school kids travelling further away for school will affect their rest time.

clan and church affiliation will NEVER be scrapped unless there is an equivalent replacement for them. they are the one who founded, and continue to manage and fund the school, and provide moral guidance, and clan & churches are the fabric of society and will continue to be so....even countries ruled by communist party who does not believe in the existence of God allow churches to be part of society

[andychng]

ana_mum:

......


Therefore, capping the number of vacancies for Phase 2A is inevitable and the authorities should look into the matter ASAP especially next year is the year where all golden piglets are going for their P1 registration.. it is going to be more challenging than this year.

The following data summarizes what you have said... and while 18% of Phase 2A-B parents took 3 weeks to decide, 52% of Phase 2C parents only has 3 days to scramble for a direct admission or a place to see the ping pong balls. While we try to suggest methods to improve the P1 admission systems, probably the MOE thinks otherwise (so as not to agitate anyone, thus no change in P1 admission rules until 2016).

http://i48.tinypic.com/t6xede.png\">

[rains]

phtthp:

There are kids staying in JB, non SC.
They come out very early morning cross the busy causeway attend schools in SG. Schools located in Woodlands is one area. However, not all target only Woodlands schools - no doubt Woodlands is nearest to causeway. Some also attend Nanyang primary, + some other schools along Bukit Timah belt + some other parts of SG as well, including Tampines.

http://www.edvantage.com.sg/edvantage/news/news/531420/School_s_top_student_from_across_Causeway.html

http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=4406&start=730

issue is :-
after so many years, already close to nearly 30 years or even more, why didn't they convert their child into SC, by now ? Knowing that SCs are fighting over scare, limited seats, key important issue is - going forward, do fellow Singaporeans feel that they still deserve priority ?

After the Aristocare incident, I am not going to believe a one- or two-liner on the internet without actual evidence. I don't believe that there is a schoolbus from Malaysia taking the kids to Nanyang.

Firstly, if they live in Malaysia, the likelihood of them being SCs is not high. I know of a few SCs who live in JB for the low cost of living and bigger houses, but that's that - very few, and usually they are Malays.

Secondly, the post is implying that these kids' parents are ex-students of Nanyang (Phase 2A), which logically is not realistic (refer to Point 1). If the post does not mean that they are ex-students, then surely they have to come under Phase 2C or 3, which logistically would have ousted them from the P1 registration process already.

Thirdly, I checked with a student from Nanyang and she said she has never seen such a bus before in her five years plus of studying there, and although there are Malaysian students in her school, they live in Singapore.

Fourthly, there is a list of schoolbus vendors on Nanyang's website and I don't remember seeing a Bas Sekolah vendor or something like that on the list.

I didn't read in details but the boy featured in edvantage is a secondary school boy.

I do know of Woodlands schools having buses for children across the causeway and that's logical because of geographical reasons.

There are different reasons why people are not SCs even after a long time. It could be:

1) Best of both worlds
If I can be a Malaysian and hold Singapore PRship, why not? Just like if I can be a Singaporean and hold an American or Australian or Canadian PRship, why not? Why must they be compelled to give up their citizenship for another just because they prefer their education system?

2) Cost of living
If they become SCs, it would make more sense to live in Singapore. They might need to give up their big house in JB and live in a matchbox flat. It also means relocation and readapting to a new environment for the parents.

3) Not able to
You need to meet some criteria in order to apply for a SCship. Maybe they don't meet the criteria?

Back to the topic, I don't see why giving priority, and unlimited vacancies at that, to Phase 2A is wrong. Any normal, logical parent who takes pride in his own alma mater would want his kids to study at his own school. If I had lived in the east, I would want my own kid to study at my alma mater as well. I find it incomprehensible why parents want to register their kids in other schools unless their alma mater have been closed down or they are ashamed of their alma mater.

My husband could even chastise my kid based on his understanding of his alma mater's culture. He could support and explain the principal's rationale for certain ideals when my kid doesn't understand or follow it, even after he has left the school for decades. He could explain the trend, the tradition and the style of the school to my kid to make her see how the school has evolved or changed, and why the need for a change. It makes my kid in turn takes pride in being a student of the school.

As I type this, I can't help but wonder if most Singaporeans do not take pride in their alma mater. If they really do, there would not be an outcry against the Phase simply because one would be able to empathise with the sentiment and pride of an alma mater.

[rains]

andychng:

The following data summarizes what you have said... and while 18% of Phase 2A-B parents took 3 weeks to decide, 52% of Phase 2C parents only has 3 days to scramble for a direct admission or a place to see the ping pong balls. While we try to suggest methods to improve the P1 admission systems, probably the MOE thinks otherwise (so as not to agitate anyone, thus no change in P1 admission rules until 2016).

Is that right? Where is the source?