DearSonR:

State your views on the stress levels of students. I find that my DS is very stressed out sometimes.

I think a lot of it depends on which school the kid is in, and what the parents expect of the kid?

sushi88:

rains:

I think that perhaps adding affiliation could also help, even for neighbourhood schools, especially those with same names for primary and secondary schools.

This sounds like a good idea for parents who worry that their children are posted to some unknown and far away secondary schools. For example, Anderson primary school perhaps can be affiliated with Anderson Secondary school? And this is probably limited to govt secondary schools within MOE's control only because there would be cases probably not possible like RGPS and RGS.....as RGS would prefer to take in top students from all schools instead. I believe MOE cannot dictate detail practices for independent schools.

If you study the current affiliation list, mostly are linked via religious bodies or clan.

Having said this, Montfont is an interesting case study, it has affiliation all the way to Catholic Junior College(based on info collated on ksp portal) but yet it is an under-subscribed school... Why? :?

If it helps Montfort, they should advertise that Commonwealth Games Badminton Silver medalist Derek Wong was an old boy from Montfort...

3Boys:

rains:

[quote=\"limlim\"]

\"So I get abit upset when people advocate alumni priority. When one come from a neighbourhood schools that none of you would choose for your kids while your alma mater is a school that parents fight tooth and nail to get their kids in, it's easy for you to say that alumni priority rules\".

It is the same principle.. can one see??

It's your wants vs other pple's ones. there is no policy that please everyone.

That's why, we need to look further than that. We have to consider what is the greater good and lesser evil. What yields the biggest benefit to society and community.

I hope I don't offend anyone but you had a part in shaping your alma mater. Have you thought about why your alma mater is not a school that parents fight tooth and nail for? Have you contributed to it being not so desirable, and then when you see others making their alma maters good, you want?

It doesn't sound nice for you to swallow, but I hope you get to see the alumni's point of view: we made the school good, but you want me to get out.

I don't think the alumni are xenophobic or want the school all to themselves. If there are enough places, everyone is welcome to taste the fruits of what the alumni did. However, bcos the tree was planted by the alumni, their kids should get the priority.

False argument rears it's ugly head again.

ALL alumni contribute to making that school good? How about lousy alumni that soaked up teacher's time to the detriment of other students? They don't exist?

How about strong teachers and principals that set a direction for a school and make it great? Do their children get phase 2A priority?

If this is such a universal thing, why do we not apply this to secondary schools, or even universities?

These false argument keeps repeating itself year after year, and the protagonists of the false argument gets upset that they get called out each time?

Your contributions (or lack thereof) to your alma mater, do not entitle your progeny to priority admission.

Simple.[/quote]totally agree.

Our current primary school priority system incorporates a legacy phase, where places are inherited. A birthright, so to speak, which perpetuates, if not widens, social inequality.

It is incongruous with what our society was founded upon, since we are not quite a feudal state.

LKY said in a 2010 Straits Times interview:

“At the primary stage, the choice is not made in a uniform way. You have a brother there or sister there, your father or mother is an alumnus, and so on.

So it’s not meritocratic; it’s based on the social class of your parents, whether they went into better schools.\"

So, right now, a nation that prides itself in being broadly based on meritocracy, has little way of having children start in a primary school purely based on merit, since even the craziest parent would not want to subject their six year old to entrance exams (then again, there are some pretty psycho ones in our society who probably would).

For primary schools, secondary schools, universities, placement is not hereditary in most countries, apart from Singapore, putting this particular registration phase in the company of archaic systems like the British peerage.

No matter how deep a sense of belonging I have with regard to my post-primary alma maters, or how many generations of my forefathers have attended these institutions, there is no natural conferring of priority placement, as a matter of regulation by any State. The anomaly only applies to Singaporean primary schools.

Will the system change? I doubt it will, not drastically at least. There are too many parties with vested interests.

rains:

I am not sure ... apart from convenience and proximity, does anyone consider the child as a person for P1 registration?


----

The same goes for her primary school. Our nearest schools were the kind of schools that parents on kiasuparents forum would never thought of sending their own kids to and would do everything to avoid their kids going. And I was sure that her kindy history would repeat itself, leaving her with 6 years of unhappy schooling and friendless.

So I get abit upset when people advocate distance priority. When I live in a neighbourhood with schools that none of you would choose for your kids while you live in an estate with schools that parents fight tooth and nail to get their kids in, it's easy for you to say that distance rules.

Yup I agree. Also wrote that in my blog post yesterday:

Some folks say that distance should be parents' top criteria. It is easy to thus sound very practical and rational, if one is in a neighbourhood flush with branded schools. Say the same if one is in a heartland neighbourhood, and that argument might be more credible.

Most people are free to move house I guess, but certainly not all have that luxury. So the social class disparity perpetuates, if not widens.

I don't begrudge any parent jumping through flaming circus hoops, much less moving house to get their children in the school of their choice, or have their children travel long distances to the best school they can get into, arising from priority in early phases.

This is not intrinsically wrong. The parents are not mad for not picking any old school nearest their original home. It is totally understandable.

http://littlebluebottle.blogspot.sg/201 ... ation.html

genice:

panda07:

MOE will be updating schools requiring balloting for phase 2b on Thur.

Actually i tot see the difference in numbers will noe need to ballot or not?

Nope, because you don't know how far each of these applicants stay from the school.

If there are 20 places, and 40 applicants, but of these, 20 apps within 1km, the 20 will get in and the rest don't even have a chance to ballot.

If there are 40 applicants and 21 apps within 1km, only those 21 get to ballot for the 20 spaces.

floppy:

Bluebottle:

[quote=\"freshsugar\"]any news from HPPS? the final result?

Wow 22 / 22. Great outcome.

http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/admissi ... ukit-timah

I'm assuming that the school has asked all >1km and PR to withdraw.[/quote]Even if they didn't withdraw they wouldn't have a chance to ballot. It's fortunate that there were not 23 within 1km, otherwise all will be in jitters and have to see who's the unfortunate one soul.

janet_lee88:

pirate:

[quote=\"janet_lee88\"]With the 40 places reserved for phase 2B/C...the next thing to revise would be grassroots People who serve grassroots have a wide selection of schools to register their kids compared to PV.

I thought they just did that this year.

remove grassroots? :siam:[/quote]They just tightened the criteria and made it much more onerous to qualify.

jennyfrmdblock:

Anyone registering under P2B at St. Stephen's on Monday?

47 folks registered under phase 2B by end of day 2...
http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/admissi ... ies/#bedok

62 for 54 places. sHPS. http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/admissi ... /#tampines

freshsugar:

any news from HPPS? the final result?

Wow 22 / 22. Great outcome.

http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/admissi ... ukit-timah