MOE Relooking P1 registration - Too much priority to alumni

[absolutwild]

ehhh… may i know what other schools are within 2km for girls staying at bukit timah besides SCGS?

[Josephcmtan]

Fairness is a relativity perception. There will always be one group benefiting while the rest staring daggers. I was in the 2C phase where balloting is required. Due to religion belief, we opted for a school beyond the 2km zone and were rightfully sweating over it. But isn’t all about choices. What i do hope that MOE would do is to cut down the number of phases and waiting time between registration and balloting. Too much anxiety and stress building up.

[dorisp]

verykiasu2010:

not too late for your \"awakening\" !

I won't hesitate to repeat it here again : It is all about personal interest.

okay let the stones fly .......

Personal interest?

Then what is my business here?

Yes I too agree that it may be personal interest for some that have young children going P1 in a few years time but I believe a lot of us here are done with this P1 thing and are here because we genuinely believe there are rooms for the P1 registration system to improve and this unlimited priorities to P2A is one big one to correct!

:imcool:

[ocean0708]

i fully agree with you. just becos of the alumni, i couldn’t get into the school which is within 1KM.

[absolutwild]

i second that! n no girls or co ed school

within 1 to 2km from where i stay! do not know where to send my girl to if cannot get in SCGS!!

[Imami]

ocean0708:

i fully agree with you. just becos of the alumni, i couldn't get into the school which is within 1KM.

No offence meant – you sure that the priority given to alumni IS the only reason?

[Imami]

Removing the alumni scheme may give you a better chance at the chosen school but I don’t think that its removal WILL give you an absolute chance.


By the way, this alumni priority thingy is a disadvantage to my child. So naturally, I have no issue about doing away with it. But then, had my hubby or myself is an alumni member of some branded school, I would hope that this would stay. So, to be objective, my take is alumni scheme can/should stay but it should be re-crafted such that the priority is given to alumni members who actively contribute to their alma maters because they contribute to the schools.

If staying within 1km to the desired school does not give one the birth right to register one’s child into, why should dormant alumni members gain priority simply because some decades ago they were from that school? And if I can add, the current scheme doesn’t even differentiate the length these alumni chalked up in the schools. If I am not wrong, just bring the report book/PSLE certs would qualify the alumni status.

A fellow parent at the cc that my child attends was telling me – they could choose to enrol their first born in tao nan (because the hubby attended the school for one year) or maha bodhi (because the hubby graduated from there). Those of us who dont have any alumni connection, do you feel like :stupid: ? Some of us don’t even have that privilege between the husband and wife but they can even afford to choose…. :faint:

[dorisp]

ocean0708:

i fully agree with you. just becos of the alumni, i couldn't get into the school which is within 1KM.

Even if the future policy really cap the number of P2A (alumni), it may also not 100% guarantee your child a place in the school within 1km...

:roll:

[Laura02]

Er … Pls correct me if I’m wrong. Is it easier to change schools at P4 if the child has passed the first round of GEP screening?

[ana_mum]

dorisp:

Yes I too agree that it may be personal interest for some that have young children going P1 in a few years time but I believe a lot of us here are done with this P1 thing and are here because we genuinely believe there are rooms for the P1 registration system to improve and this unlimited priorities to P2A is one big one to correct!

:imcool:

i can't agree more.. i've my fair share of experience with the P1 registration and have gone through Phase 2B (balloted out) and Phase 2C (accepted based on distance priority).. was satisfied with the result though ds didn't get into the school under Phase 2B but was lucky to have another school in Phase 2C that meet most of our criteria.. i've learnt alot from the P1 registration and really think that many things can be improved to make it easier & fairer for other parents who will be going through it.. it wouldn't hurt us at all even if the authorities were to keep the current system unchanged.. as for my children, who will be the alumni of their school (fairly gd school with long history and secondary affiliation), i'll strongly encourage them to actively participate in the events organized by their alma mater, keep in-touch and not just sit back and reap the benefits after graduating from it many years later.