SINGAPORE — The current criteria for the Primary One registration has well met the needs of parents and further changes to the system would not be meaningful, said Minister for Education Mr Heng Swee Keat at parliament today.

In his speech, Mr Heng said that four schools have balloted in Phase 2A2 this year since changes were made to the system.

He noted that without the reservation of places in Phase 2B and 2C, there would have been fewer than 40 places in each of these schools open to students without prior connections to the school.

“Some schools may in the future run the risk of not having any access at Phase 2B and 2C,” he added.

On whether home-school distance is considered as a criterion during the P1 allocation, Mr Heng said that it is already a key consideration and priority is given to those who live within 1km of the school.

“As the number of children seeking admission in a particular year and the population in the area changes, we seek parents’ understanding that even as we attempt to plan the location of schools and the number of vacancies carefully, it is not always possible to meet the changing number of students who will register within an area in a particular year,” he said.

“Our assessment is that the current criteria have met the needs of most parents well, and making further changes at this point would not be meaningful.

“What is most important is that every pupil receives a good quality and holistic education, regardless of which school he or she attends,” Mr Heng added.