The Primary One School Registration Exercise kicked off last Monday. For some, this means the culmination of months or years of careful planning. Alas for others, it may mean the beginning of much confusion! Till Tuesday 21st July, the phases involve applicants whose siblings or parents are already affiliated in some way e.g. sibling is a student there, parent is a volunteer or grassroots leader etc. Chances up to this stage are still rather good, though in some popular schools, being a parent volunteer (or PV) would not be enough to secure a place. The real no-holds barred catfight begins in Phase 2C on Wednesday 29th July. Everyone else will scrabble for the remaining places in choice schools, leading to the inevitable balloting based on distance priority.

Some will utilize whatever (legal) means necessary to get their kids into a ‘top’ school  – joining the alumni or PV group well in advance, even moving to a home located within 1 km of the school. Many have griped that while strict MOE regulations do not allow the ‘buying’ of places, this doesn’t stop those with the means to do so from putting their money in a house or flat near the school instead, just before they are due for school registration. Some have even gone so far as to suggest that it should be made compulsory for addresses to be valid for a minimum number of years before parents could use them to get priority in balloting for places.

While I know where this is coming from, it would lead to an implementation headache and calls for exclusions. Would this apply to the homes of grandparents or caregivers as well? What about parents who recently bought a home in the vicinity because they work or run a business nearby? What if their recent purchase was a necessary step following the  redevelopment or en-bloc exercise of their previous dwelling? Will it further delay births, with parents making sure the nest is all ‘set up’ in a strategic location, before letting the stork come a-calling?

Why IS getting a headstart in a ‘top’ school with a proven track record the ‘be all end all’ for some parents?  Chances are, they may be subscribing to the 3Cs – Connection, Consistency and Comparison:
Connection – networking with the ‘right’ set of classmates and parents who are equally achievement-oriented (or who must be, having managed to get into the school!)
Consistency – having produced good results year after year, the school must be doing something right
Comparisons – ‘Kiasuism’ maybe more apt here –putting a brandname school on one’s resume to give extra edge

Nothing wrong with all these. But if your child is in a ‘top’ school, it is all the more important that you continue to ‘invest’ in your child – not just through enrichment classes or tutors, but by keeping a close watch on your child’s physical and emotional state.  Aside from academic ability, your child will need to have the confidence and mental resilience to be able to stay afloat in extremely competitive waters.

If your child is struggling in a top school, moving him or her to a neighbourhood school does not mean giving way to a second-rate education. Neighbourhood schools have also churned out top scorers and medalists in the field and academic Olympiads. Some students who switched to neighbourhood schools actually performed better in the long run due to less stress and worry, or were able to study at a pace more suited to them.

After all, we all want our kids to do well, but don’t we want they to be happy as well?

Will you be registering your child in Phase 2A2 or later? check out our guide to Primary 1 Registration at
http://www.epopular.com.sg/edubuzz/my-kid/guide-to-primary-1-registration.php

What do you think of the rush for places in 'top' schools? Is your child studying in one? Share with us your thoughts, we would like to hear from you.

Comments (1)

Get the right match
written by TryourBest, July 13, 2009

Whatever it is we must not go with the 'crowd' mentality and we have to make sure our kid is suited to the school. In a top school if you are not up to the class standard you better buck up very fast, get one-to-one tuition to catch up if have to. Every school will say they help all students but if they get pressure to produce the 'top scorers' then how much help will an average or below-average child yet? Children also compare - my friend's son in a very popular school said his classmates all have tuition every day - sometimes 2 teachers for one subject, while he only has twice a week, and they only finish all the school and tuition homework at 11pm! I think if a child has to spend all this time studying and revising just to keep up with the rest of the class then this is not the right place for him.

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