40 P1 places reserved for kids without blood ties to school

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Education today (Aug 19) announced that every primary school will reserve a total of 40 places for registrants in Phases 2B and 2C of the Primary 1 Registration Exercise, starting from next year. The move is to assure places at popular schools for those who don’t have familial connections — such as a sibling or a parent who is an alumni — with that school. The number of vacancies remaining after Phase 2A(2) of the Registration Exervice will be split equally between Phases 2B and 2C, the MOE said in its statement. The ministry was expanding on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s initial announcement at the National Day Rally. “We will give every Singaporean child a chance to enter the primary school of his choice,” Mr Lee said yesterday, expressing his concern that popular schools in Singapore are becoming “closed circles”. “If we do nothing, one day, these schools may have no places at all for those with no connections. We don’t want our primary schools to be closed institutions, and you can only get in if your parents had been there.” The Ministry added in today’s statement that the P1 Registration Framework is reviewed regularly, and the eligibility criteria in the various phases “reflect a careful balance of considerations, including convenience to parents, parental ties, community involvement and proximity”. Phase 1 is open to children with a sibling studying in the primary school of their choice. Phase 2A(1) covers children with a parent who is an alumni of that school and who has been a member of the alumni association for at least a year. Phase 2A(2) is for those with a parent who is an alumni but not a member of the association, as well as children whose parent is a staff member at the primary school of choice. Phase 2B covers a child whose parent is a member of the advisory or management committee of the school of choice, children whose parent is a member endorsed by the church/clan directly connected with the primary school, and children whose parent is endorsed as an active community leader. All other children are covered under Phase 2C.