Opinions of the Primary School Registration System
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gvyong:
1) From the experiences of terminal 3 and marina bay, you do realise our ministries are not very good at naming places, buildings right?SAHM_TAN:
I don't think there's any real problem with registration system. The push for change is primary becos parents are not confident in all the schools. If MOE can resolve this confidence issue, registration will be a less stressful process.
I have confidence in all schools that are:
1) not named after the neighborhood/location
2) have a clear set of values, traditions n support of alumni
3) able to build upon n proud of its history
4) are able to offer programs for all levels, n not just cater to the gifted, well to do or mainstream( in the guise of 'holistic' education)
5) not built to be the phase 2c supp sch of the area
2) All schools have their sets of values. I'm a weird parent, I'm the one who impose values on my kids. My kids are with me the moment they are born, I'm not waiting for MOE. Values and morals are not related to educational level. If the school has positive impact, it's a bonus. Moral education is part of all schools' curriculum, so the std should be there I guess. Of course recent news about our educators are a bit depressing. I can only hope I'm doing a good enough job on my kids in this area. A child must be able to judge what's right and wrong before going to school.
3) History is past. It can help to bring about a sense of belonging and a common memory but it does not define you.
4) My neighbourhood school have a list of programmes. So do other neighbourhood schools that I know. They have rather interesting ones. Take some time to visit their websites.
5) I didn't know MOE build schools for P2CS.
I'm just glad that my dd1 does not know about which schools are best or top or whatever. She's just happy to be in her school and willing to learn from her teachers. I'm glad kids at this age P1, don't feel that they are limited by the schools that they are in. -
gvyong:
Agree!SAHM_TAN:
I don't think there's any real problem with registration system. The push for change is primary becos parents are not confident in all the schools. If MOE can resolve this confidence issue, registration will be a less stressful process.
I have confidence in all schools that are:
1) not named after the neighborhood/location
2) have a clear set of values, traditions n support of alumni
3) able to build upon n proud of its history
4) are able to offer programs for all levels, n not just cater to the gifted, well to do or mainstream( in the guise of 'holistic' education)
5) not built to be the phase 2c supp sch of the area
Why not get all those ultra-popular schools to \"adopt\" and rename Phua Chu Kang North/South/East West to become their branches and then implement their management and software thereby even out the standards and manage the demand evenly throughout the island? -
janet_lee88:
Agree Janet! Distance is not the No. 1 consideration at all. This I have already learned a painful lesson from Pre-Nursery level when I \"threw\" my boy into the nearest CCC which did not work well.My former primary school (Swiss Cottage) has closed down...or I would have registered my kids there.
Find out more about the primary school...the culture, whether it is really holistic. This will help you determine if your child can adapt to the environment. Sometimes, that school within walking distance may not be suitable...it's not all about proximity. Every child is different. Some can work under pressure...but the same pressure applied to another child can lead to him/her crumbling. -
sleepy:
I stay walking distance to Pei Hwa. Bought my flat here bcos it's close to my parents. My son is at PH. But I realised my daughter's character is diff from my son. As such, we registered her in my former school...yes, slightly further away but the culture and environment suits her. Many also think I am :siao: to do that when son's school is 5 min walking distance away.janet_lee88:
Sometimes, that school within walking distance may not be suitable...it's not all about proximity. Every child is different.
This is so true!
My kids' 1st primary school was a stone throw away only & with a long list of PVs and fierce balloting each year. Yet I transfer them to a further away school. Other parents think I'm :siao: to give up ' hot seats' & transfer out.
As parents, we have to understand our kids' character and personality...it's definitely not a one-size-fits-all. -
How can I find out more about the primary schools? Other than doing PV?
I am a FTWM. Hubby travels often, so if I sign up for PV, chances are I am the only one clocking the hours. Hence, at the very most, I can only sign up PV at one school.
I am definitely not there yet, judging how clueless I am whenever I read posts about “find out the school, if it is suitable for your child”. My first criteria for primary school is proximity and we are blessed with 3 primary schools within 1km – 1 branded one, 1 good PSLE track record neighbourhood one and 1 neighbourhood one (most people who talk about this school either silent or have no good comment about it). I am seriously thinking about the branded one because it is very strong in chinese. No offence meant but if it is one of those very ‘ang mo’ ones, I would not have been interested.
Will appreciate those who have walked the path provide some advices please. -
janet_lee88:
Sure..
As parents, we have to understand our kids' character and personality...it's definitely not a one-size-fits-all.
Your comments is valid for discussion of \"What school should you choose\" at an individual's level.
However, it is not valid for \"What is a better P1 registration system/priority scheme\" at a community or National level.
You may have 5 reasons why School A is better for your kids, while another parent may have 5 entirely different reasons why School A is better for their kids.
So we need to look at fair use of resources and how to allocate them such that majority can benefit instead of minorities. Or a system leading to the best interest of general community.
We need to look beyond individual preferences. Because you have 101 reason to put your kids in a school doesn't means you should get the priority unless it can be justified that the reason have positive impact on the community. -
Lizzie:
it is not possible to impose that the family must stay at the same place throughout the six years. every family's situation may change over the period of time, including yours, some are financial and some non-financial reason.
\\verykiasu2010:
it is very difficult, if not impossible, to dictate that one must stay at the address for the duration of the primary school education - family financial situation does change
as long as it is proven no intention at cheating, it should be fine; or if it is proven fraudulent / cheating, then by all means punish them severely
It's next to impossible too to distinguish what' s the fraudulent from the bona fide .
However, what should hold true consistently , is the premise upon which Phase 2C is discharged.
Given that the the premise of qualifying for Phase 2C selection is based on distance, this principle should continue to apply throughout the 6 years of primary education.
Therefore, the bottomline is - once moved house (beyond 1/2km, whether rental or owner occupied) , then your subsequent child (in fact this should also apply to the incumbent first child too, transfer to new school nearer to new home) , should no longer qualify under Phase 2A for P1 registration. It's just too much to continue occupying top priority under Phase 2A for subsequent child when you have clearly \"completed\" abusing the principle of Phase 2C to get a headstart.
One might argue that since the first child is already enrolled into the school, it is just maintaining economies of scale to allow the 2nd ,3rd child to be in the same school as the elder- one stop tranport etc . However, this goes against the grain of the principle of Phase 2C , distance upon which the elder child qualifies for the place in the school. In the first place, there should not be unnecessary ferrying or transport if one clearly continues to stay within 1/2km distance of school.
In addition, by enforcing this strict principle, the school can continuously assure that students who qualify in phase 2 C and remain throughout the 6 years of education, are those who remain within the 1 /2kim radius . It keeps the traffic off the road for everyone else and all the unnecessary ferrying around.
[b]Adminstratively to carry this out, when qualifying for Phase 2A of subsequent child, the administrator should ask for proof of 1st child initial address and distinguish whether rental or owner occupied and the duration of occupation. If proven ,that the occupation was a short-term one, and clearly the new address reflects one beyond 1/2 km, phase 2A should not be open for the 2nd child anymore. The 1st child should also be requested to transfer to the school nearer to new home. This will clear up alot of spaces for people who are vested in their homes within 1/2km for a very long time. This will also clearly deter people going the rental route and create absolute unfair imbalance in Phase 1 and 2A subsequently.[/b]
renting a place near NYPS (as an example) need not be $5k a month, it could be as low as $1k month...those HDB flats 3/4/5 room are quite affordable comparatively
landed house rental there are closer to 5-digit these days -
verykiasu2010:
it is not possible to impose that the family must stay at the same place throughout the six years. every family's situation may change over the period of time, including yours, some are financial and some non-financial reason.
\\Lizzie:
[quote=\"verykiasu2010\"]it is very difficult, if not impossible, to dictate that one must stay at the address for the duration of the primary school education - family financial situation does change
as long as it is proven no intention at cheating, it should be fine; or if it is proven fraudulent / cheating, then by all means punish them severely
It's next to impossible too to distinguish what' s the fraudulent from the bona fide .
However, what should hold true consistently , is the premise upon which Phase 2C is discharged.
Given that the the premise of qualifying for Phase 2C selection is based on distance, this principle should continue to apply throughout the 6 years of primary education.
Therefore, the bottomline is - once moved house (beyond 1/2km, whether rental or owner occupied) , then your subsequent child (in fact this should also apply to the incumbent first child too, transfer to new school nearer to new home) , should no longer qualify under Phase 2A for P1 registration. It's just too much to continue occupying top priority under Phase 2A for subsequent child when you have clearly \"completed\" abusing the principle of Phase 2C to get a headstart.
One might argue that since the first child is already enrolled into the school, it is just maintaining economies of scale to allow the 2nd ,3rd child to be in the same school as the elder- one stop tranport etc . However, this goes against the grain of the principle of Phase 2C , distance upon which the elder child qualifies for the place in the school. In the first place, there should not be unnecessary ferrying or transport if one clearly continues to stay within 1/2km distance of school.
In addition, by enforcing this strict principle, the school can continuously assure that students who qualify in phase 2 C and remain throughout the 6 years of education, are those who remain within the 1 /2kim radius . It keeps the traffic off the road for everyone else and all the unnecessary ferrying around.
[b]Adminstratively to carry this out, when qualifying for Phase 2A of subsequent child, the administrator should ask for proof of 1st child initial address and distinguish whether rental or owner occupied and the duration of occupation. If proven ,that the occupation was a short-term one, and clearly the new address reflects one beyond 1/2 km, phase 2A should not be open for the 2nd child anymore. The 1st child should also be requested to transfer to the school nearer to new home. This will clear up alot of spaces for people who are vested in their homes within 1/2km for a very long time. This will also clearly deter people going the rental route and create absolute unfair imbalance in Phase 1 and 2A subsequently.[/b]
renting a place near NYPS (as an example) need not be $5k a month, it could be as low as $1k month...those HDB flats 3/4/5 room are quite affordable comparatively
landed house rental there are closer to 5-digit these days[/quote]suppose got this scenario :-
X rent an apartment < 1 km from Nanyang, 3 months before P1 registration. His child got balloted in, under Phase 2C.
X continued to rent house, for another 2 years.
But when child reach P3, one day X lost his job - financial status changed. X wife not working (housewife). X got to shift out elsewhere far > 2km, can't tahan high costs rental near Nanyang.
question -
will Nanyang expel this child out of school -
if suppose one kaypoh parent's classmate discovered and blow whistle loudly to his form teacher, Principal / VPs, mata ? This type of case - can catch or cannot catch ? -
phtthp:
No, there is no reason to \"expel\". There is nothing to \"catch\".
suppose got this scenario :-
X rent an apartment < 1 km from Nanyang, 3 months before P1 registration. His child got balloted in, under Phase 2C.
X continued to rent house, for another 2 years.
But when child reach P3, one day X lost his job - financial status changed. X wife not working (housewife). X got to shift out elsewhere far > 2km, can't tahan high costs rental near Nanyang.
question -
will Nanyang expel this child out of school -
if suppose one kaypoh parent's classmate discovered and blow whistle loudly to his form teacher, Principal / VPs, mata ? This type of case - can catch or cannot catch ?
Sorry if you are disappointed.
It is not a loophole. No law can dictate that a family cannot rent a place forever to stay. No law to dictate that family situation cannot change.
Instead, may be even the school would look into how to help the student financially if it becomes very bad......hope this does not incense you, haha
It will be good if because of Pri registration rules, government can tell private sector companies that these parents cannot be sacked and cannot lose their job, otherwise it makes these people by default become fraudster in pri 1 registration as they have to change house to afford cheaper place, not necessary the original was expensive -
verykiasu2010:
No, there is no reason to \"expel\". There is nothing to \"catch\".phtthp:
suppose got this scenario :-
X rent an apartment < 1 km from Nanyang, 3 months before P1 registration. His child got balloted in, under Phase 2C.
X continued to rent house, for another 2 years.
But when child reach P3, one day X lost his job - financial status changed. X wife not working (housewife). X got to shift out elsewhere far > 2km, can't tahan high costs rental near Nanyang.
question -
will Nanyang expel this child out of school -
if suppose one kaypoh parent's classmate discovered and blow whistle loudly to his form teacher, Principal / VPs, mata ? This type of case - can catch or cannot catch ?
Sorry if you are disappointed.
It is not a loophole. No law can dictate that a family cannot rent a place forever to stay. No law to dictate that family situation cannot change.
Instead, may be even the school would look into how to help the student financially if it becomes very bad......hope this does not incense you, haha
It will be good if because of Pri registration rules, government can tell private sector companies that these parents cannot be sacked and cannot lose their job, otherwise it makes these people by default become fraudster in pri 1 registration as they have to change house to afford cheaper place, not necessary the original was expensive
No issue at all, on where one chooses to stay voluntarily or otherwise, there are so many variables affecting one's lifestyle. It's a democratic society after all .
However, there should be only one principle that should be held true consistently i.e \"distance\" upon which the school placement are allocated for, no? Was this not the basis that the school was allocated in the first place? Once move house, transfer to school nearer to home. That's it.
In the context of financial difficulties, then wouldn't it make more economical sense if the child should get transferred out to the schools nearer to \"new\" home to save on transport? contradicting is it not?
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