P1 registration: So near yet so far away

From Voices

Today • Thursday • June 26, 2008

 

Letter from TAN CHOR HOON

 

I REFER to “Disconnect the connections” (June 24).

 

In view of the upcoming P1 registration, the writer has so aptly highlighted the woes of many parents who unfortunately do not have the “right” connections with the “right” or “good” schools.

 

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has often emphasised that parents should base their choice of primary schools on distance so as not to subject young children to long-distance travelling. How does one then reconcile this rationale with the way MOE structures the prioritisation of P1 registration, in which distance is considered only in the last few phases of registration?

 

The parent-volunteer priority has encouraged parents to contribute to their choice schools one year before their child is due for registration. Is that the right mentality that we want to encourage in parents?

 

Does MOE know how many parents drop out of such volunteer work after their child is successfully registered in the choice school?

 

The existing registration process has made some schools more popular than others. This further reduces the admission chances of children who live near these schools but do not have the right connections.

 

Perhaps MOE should explain how the existing process is justified.