rains:

limlim:

My statistics are drawn from HDB website. enough said.

My point is simple. There are affordable flats near good schools. The facts speaks for itself.

The fact is I got my kids into a school of my choice, whether the houses around it are affordable or not, and the rest doesn't matter. Who cares if your RSS has affordable flats or not? If you like RSS so much, you can have it.

limlim:

My statistics are drawn from HDB website. enough said.

My point is simple. There are affordable flats near good schools. The facts speaks for itself.

rains:

Did you see my subsequent posts on the other flats nearer to your 'long list of HDB flats'?

I just realised we had similar conversations some time ago and while you used data from sources you don't question, I relied/rely on my own experiences. And you were not able to find an apartment that I had asked for either.

By your statistics and data, I should have no problem finding a place within a reasonable price range but my experiences tell me otherwise. And I have the experts in the field, the property agents, to back my argument up, that everything else being the same, a home nearer to a good school is more expensive than one that is not. Don't twist my argument into 'the only thing that determines the price of a house is proximity to good schools' just to win an argument.

Just like parenting, if you haven't got a child, you can quote all the experts' advice on how to raise one, but ultimately, it's the experience that makes all the difference.

rains:

Thanks for the lesson on the wan4 symbol and its connection with Hitler.

We've some Germany historians in ksp forum huh.
I can't find the symbol on my phone's Chinese dictionary though.

jetsetter:

Chinese schools weren't that big until '79 after LKY met Deng in '78. And got bigger in 1990 onwards cos formal diplomatic ties with PRC were established, hence the rise of HCL and SAP/Chinese schools. Many long forgotten Chinese primary schools like Poi Ching, Gongshang, Chongfu (no status yet) rose to prominence as soon as MOE accorded them with this or that status.

grimm:

Thanks, jetsetter but I wasn't the one who brought RSS. That's between limlim and rain.


I am just generally curious how parents define which are the top primary schools they want their children go, including moving to the area etc. Whether they are going by real recognition by MOE, by hearsay, by branding, by whose children went there etc.

I asked about Rulang elsewhere because it appears to be a top school in every way, including popularity but yet I don't see it being spoken in the same breath as RGPS, MGS etc and I don't see anyone brand it as an elite school when it should be. Maybe because it's in the heartlands like you said.

pirate:

rains:

Any insight as to why RSS's Chinese name contains a Nazi-like character?

The swastika is a sacred Hindu and Buddhist religious symbol since ancient times. Basically the Nazis stole it.

phtthp:

pirate:

[quote=\"rains\"]Any insight as to why RSS's Chinese name contains a Nazi-like character?

The swastika is a sacred Hindu and Buddhist religious symbol since ancient times. Basically the Nazis stole it.

pirate:

rains:

Any insight as to why RSS's Chinese name contains a Nazi-like character?

The swastika is a sacred Hindu and Buddhist religious symbol since ancient times. Basically the Nazis stole it.

rains:

Sometimes I wonder if top=branded=popular, or top=elite, or branded=elite=top, or top=branded=elite=popular? Or people are just using the terms interchangeably? I used to think 'top school' refers to a school which achieves excellent academic results and 'popular school' is a school that parents think well of but not necessary do well academically. 'Branded' and 'elite' sound more like a perception. If many people say it's 'branded' or 'elite', then it is. But it seems people do not really define them.

rains:

Any insight as to why RSS's Chinese name contains a Nazi-like character?

jetsetter:

OK, RSS is one of those Chinese heritage schools which had consistently done well in the 80s-90s, so after they were accorded the 'SAP' status, their popularity soared, and became \"elite\" in the eyes of ksps.

In case you're not aware because you don't live in the East, RSS, TNS, MBPS and KHS were already top pri schools in the East in the 80s. Their overall PSLE results far superseded that of many 'elite' mission schools then.

Many pp wrongly categorised some heritage schools as \"neighbourhood schools\" on the basis they are smack in the heartlands. But surely you know it was no choice of theirs, as the G had assigned many overcrowded heritage schools land parcels in the HDB estates under our master urban plan in the 70s-80s.

limlim:

rains:

[quote=\"limlim\"]

Within 1 km.

And, 136 is much much further than Blk 109. Obviously proximity to RSS is not the reason for it's \"higher than your whompa view flat\" pricing because there is a much cheaper flat that is much nearer to RSS.

The example you quoted is just one out of the many. Perhaps that's your style - pick one out of many to support your argument. Blk 134 is also within 1km. In fact, the ones I have posted are all within 1km. There are other reasons why one apartment cost lower than others such as nil reno. And your 109 is not 'below $300k'. Given that this year's economy is on the low side, it still fetched a nice price for a 3 room flat. Doesn't it say something?

grimm:

Red Swastika School I believe

grimm:

http://www.srx.com.sg/ask-home-prof/20072/the-cost-of-elite-schools-in-singapore


An alternative view from SRX - \"Looking at various areas in Singapore, SRX Property looked at the Median Resale Price Per Square Foot (PSF) within a 1km parameter from GEP Primary Schools and then compared those prices to the Median Resale Price PSF within a 1km parameter from primary schools without the Gifted Education Programme. Out of 18 schools throughout Singapore, there were only two areas where a non-GEP primary school had a cheaper Median Resale PSF within 1 km than the Median Resale PSF within 1km of the GEP school used in that area.\"

So they don''t think elite schools make that much difference to home prices.....

rains:

mummychua:

There are alot of factors that determine the selling price of a place. Its kind of one sided to say that the particular area cost more because there is a elite sch nearby. It could be a selling point but its certainly not the only thing home buyer looked at.

That would be stating the obvious. What I am saying is, everything being the same, a house near a good school will be more expensive than one that's not, bcos some people insist that proximity to good schools has no bearing on the prices of the houses.

rains:

limlim:

[quote=\"rains\"]

That's as close as I can get to RSS.

Are those flats you listed near to RSS?

Within 1 km.

And, 136 is much much further than Blk 109. Obviously proximity to RSS is not the reason for it's \"higher than your whompa view flat\" pricing because there is a much cheaper flat that is much nearer to RSS.