In the next Primary 1 registration exercise, more places will be set aside for children who do not have priority admission.
On Thursday (Sept 9), the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced that the number of places for this group will be doubled to 40 starting next year.
Currently, they are eligible for Phase 2C of the annual registration exercise. Phase 2C is open to students with no links to the school and gives priority to those living nearby.
Under the latest changes, every primary school must allocate 40 places for students with no prior connection to the school at the start of the next P1 registration exercise.
The MOE said that competition has intensified since its 2014 decision to reserve 20 places for Phase 2C admissions each year.
This year, in Phase 2C, one-third of schools had to conduct balloting for Singaporeans living within 1km of the school, up from one-quarter in 2014.
Commenting on the proposed changes, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing noted that in recent years, the number of students who can attend a school near their home has decreased.
He added that the latest revisions will help ensure that schools remain accessible, open, and inclusive.
The MOE said that increasing the number of places in Phase 2C is “for the educational benefit of children, to help them spend less time travelling and have more time for other interests, as well as for the convenience of the family.”
In March this year, during the Committee of Supply debate in Parliament, then-Education Minister Lawrence Wong announced the move to review Phase 2C.
Reserved Places for Phase 2C Increased to 40
Starting next year, 40 places will be reserved for Phase 2C admissions, while Phase 2B will continue to have 20 reserved places.
This phase is for children of parent volunteers and those with church connections.
Additionally, applicants in Phase 2C will get two-thirds of the remaining vacancies from earlier phases, while those eligible for Phase 2B will get one-third.
Previously, the remaining vacancies from earlier phases were split equally between the two phases.
Phases 2A(1) and 2A(2) to be Merged
The MOE noted that reserving more places for Phase 2C could mean some schools will not have any places left for registrants in Phase 2A(2) (for children whose parents or siblings are former students).
Therefore, the MOE has decided to merge Phases 2A(1) and 2A(2).
This means that children whose parents are members of the alumni association will no longer have priority over children whose parents or siblings previously studied in the school. They will now compete in the same phase.
In 1999, priority admission for alumni members in Phase 2A(1) was introduced to encourage greater support from alumni and the community.
The MOE said: “Over time, more stakeholders, such as former students and alumni associations, have been actively contributing to schools in their own ways.”
“It is now timely to review the differentiation in priorities between stakeholders in Phases 2A(1) and 2A(2).”
Home-School Distance Calculation Method Expanded
Additionally, the MOE will revise the home-school distance calculation method for all primary schools, slightly expanding the coverage for families living within 1km and 2km of a school.
Children who live closer to their chosen school have greater priority in all phases of registration.
The new method is based on the shortest distance from any point on the school’s boundary to the applicant’s home.
This will increase the number of eligible applicants in each home-school distance category for every school by more than 10%.
However, for three primary schools—Cedar Primary School, Maris Stella High School (Primary Section), and Marymount Convent School—a small number of applicants will be placed in a further home-school distance category due to school boundary changes from previous upgrading or rebuilding works.
For this affected group, the MOE will allow these children to retain their original home-school distance for the 2022 P1 registration exercise as a one-time arrangement.
The 2021 P1 registration exercise, which ended on August 31, will be the last one under the old framework.
Imelda Gani, a 42-year-old administrative executive, told The Straits Times that the increase in Phase 2C places will make the process more inclusive.
She said: “Right now, it can be hard for people living just across the road from a school to get in.”
Her older son, aged nine, entered Bukit Panjang Primary School through balloting in Phase 2C.
Engineer Samuel Siswanto, 38, told The Straits Times that he hopes the additional places will be a game changer, helping those who are disadvantaged to get more opportunities to enter their desired schools.
However, he added that he is concerned it might drive up property prices near popular schools, as parents might move to increase their chances of admission. He said: “Hopefully, there will be other policy changes to mitigate this possibility.”
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