Does the Primary 1 registration system put too much focus on the parent instead of the child?

SINGAPORE: Scouting for potential primary schools years in advance, volunteering at a school to increase their child’s chances of admittance, and even moving homes to qualify for entry into a school based on distance criteria.

Singaporean parents have done all that and more in preparation for the Primary 1 registration process. But as far as one academic is concerned, the Primary 1 registration system puts too much weight on the connections and efforts of the parents.

Most of the registration criteria have nothing to do with the individual child, noted Associate Professor Jason Tan from the National Institute of Education (NIE).

“Instead, they have everything to do with what the parents bring to the table,” he told CNA podcast Heart of the Matter.

For example, factors like where they live, whether they qualify as alumni, and whether they are staff members are taken into account, he said.

These can give parents an advantage, as priority is given based on such factors.

“This, to me, is a kind of anomalous situation. In an education system that claims to work along meritocratic lines, it really depends a lot on what the parents can bring when it comes to helping their child's place in preferred schools,” he said.

The registration process is currently ongoing. Registration for Phase 2C ended on Thursday (Aug 3) and the next phase will open on Aug 17.

The only way to make the system completely fair would be to use a computerised random lottery, he said.

But “most of us, I guess, would be completely horrified by that idea. Because then my child would have to travel maybe 10km”, he added.

THE NEED FOR DIVERSITY

There is a constant “tussle” between the macro-level goals of the Ministry of Education (MOE) like encouraging greater racial or socio-economic diversity and parents’ preferences for their children, he said.

He questioned how diverse schools need to be, adding that the idea that schools ought to be common spaces where children from diverse backgrounds can meet and interact is the centre of a long-standing debate.

“We also have to remember that the schools are trying to fulfil so many different sorts of objectives,” he said, adding that MOE has been trying to prioritise the needs of Singaporeans over permanent residents and international students.

“You could very well argue that there's a case for having that broader international mix in our schools, if you think of diversity beyond the shores of Singapore. But then what we have here is this attempt to reconcile quite a few different objectives. And it's not always easy to do so in a very neat and satisfactory manner.”

In the face of many competing factors, parents have to make informed decisions, he said.

They have to take the time to find out more about the schools they are considering, he said. But beyond the attributes of the school like its heritage and PSLE results, parents have to consider their child’s needs, he said.

“It’s fair to say that some children quite naturally thrive in certain kinds of environments and not in others. It's important therefore, for parents to really combine the knowledge of their own child on the one hand, with the research and informed understanding of the various school options on the other,” he said.

Mr Ong Junda, founder of SGSchooling.com who joined Assoc Prof Tan on the podcast, said he volunteered for 40 hours at Anderson Primary School to qualify for an earlier phase for his child and managed to secure a spot.

Mr Ong, who lives in Yishun, said he was willing to travel as far as Bishan to get his daughter into a school he considered to be good. He described himself as a “kiasu” parent who wanted to enrol her into a top school.

“We want to have no regrets, (so we want) a school that offers the best opportunity, good environment,” he said.

Shifting to a new house to get into a better school would not have been a hurdle for him, he added. However, he pointed out that that would not guarantee a spot in some brand-name schools.