33 primary schools oversubscribed in P1 registration's revamped phase 2A for alumni ties
Balloting will be held for entry into 28 primary schools this year in the revamped second phase of the Primary 1 Registration exercise as the number of oversubscribed schools nearly doubled from the year before.
A total of 33 out of Singapore's 181 primary schools, or close to a fifth, were oversubscribed in Phase 2A, according to data from the Ministry of Education's (MOE) website published on Thursday evening (July 14).
Last year, 17 schools were oversubscribed at the end of the Phase 2A(2), the equivalent phase under the old system.
Some of the most oversubscribed schools this year are Pei Hwa Presbyterian in Upper Bukit Timah and Gongshang Primary in Tampines.
At Pei Hwa, there are 112 applicants for 44 vacancies, while at Gongshang there are 116 applicants for 59 slots.
Phase 2A is reserved for children who have a parent or sibling who is a former pupil, or those who have a parent who is a member of the school advisory or management committee, or a staff member.
Children from MOE Kindergartens under the primary school of their choice also qualify for this phase.
The phase was created this year from merging phases 2A(1) and 2A(2), which were both set aside for children of alumni.
Phase 2A(1) was reserved for children whose parents had joined the school's alumni association or are members of its advisory or management committee.
Phase 2A(2) was reserved for alumni who were not members of the association; children of staff; and children in the MOE kindergarten located within the primary school.
MOE later said the change was meant to ensure that schools would not end up with few or no places left in Phase 2A(2) due to the doubling of reserved places in the fourth phase of the exercise, also to be implemented this year.
Speaking on the increase in the number of oversubscribed schools, National Institute of Education Associate Professor Jason Tan said MOE doubling the number of places in Phase 2C - which is for pupils with no prior links to the schools - may have prompted parents to rush to secure a spot in this phase, pushing up competition.
He added: "The latest reforms still don't fully address the longstanding problem of some parents engaging in intense strategising in order to secure their children a Primary 1 place in their preferred school."
This year, 40 places will be reserved in Phase 2C, up from 20. MOE has said this is meant to allow more children to attend schools near their homes.
Five of the oversubscribed schools will not be holding ballots, the website said.
These are Nan Hua, Singapore Chinese Girls', Wellington, Westwood and Yu Neng primary schools.
ST understands that this may be due to other factors, such as the citizenship status of the applicants, disqualifying some pupils in tie-breakers for spaces - meaning that a ballot need not be held.
Parents will receive the final results for Phase 2A, including the ballots, by Monday (July 18), the website said.
The next phase - 2B - opens for registration the following day, Tuesday, at 9am.
It is reserved for children who have a parent who volunteered at the school or are endorsed by the church or clan directly connected with the primary school or who are active community leaders.
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