Primary One
The recent furore in the local newspapers about the Primary One registration has stirred my heart once again. The issue is even more hotly debated in the Internet.
I have previously written in about this matter but had not received any official reply from the Ministry of Education. Perhaps as I am writing this article, they are already in the midst of a strategy review to tackle this perennial issue.
The increasing number of Primary One registrations’ numbers and stressed-up parents are more than sufficient reasons for MOE to address this issue expeditiously.
The CPF board has tweaked their system time and again. They have refined the CPF minimum sum and withdrawal rates for aged 65 and above constantly over the years. No policies are cast in stone. MOE should follow suit. Continually, MOE should do an assessment of the situation on hand and improve their policies to best suit the changing times and needs.
No doubt the phases have been in place for many years now and used to serve us well. However, due to dramatic demographics changes over long period of time, it is high time for an alteration.
In Singapore, birth rates have declined stealthily yet student population has increased over the years. Schools have merged and relocated. Classrooms sizes are shrinking. Primary One intakes are important as they formed the basic building blocks of our nations. These young minds will spend the next 10 or 12 years of their life in our educational system. I purport we have not a radical change in the registration produce but a gradual one done quickly.
For one, we should call a spade a spade. It is futile making panicky parents more worried by connecting numeric supremacy to registration phases.
I propose the following registration stages to cut red tape and introduce more transparency and equitability.
Siblings Phase – This phase is for children with existing brothers or sisters already studying in the school. They should be automatically granted a place in the school.
Citizens Phase – Next, come Singapore Citizen phase. This will give priority to our sons and daughters born on local soil.
Non-citizens Phase – Lastly, the non-citizens phase will cater to Permanent Residents (PRs) and children with foreign passports. These growing numbers ought to have a chance to grow together. This phase will probably include a balloting segment in event there is no vacancy left due higher than expected take-up rates in the earlier two phases.
Singapore’s birth rate have been hovering below 40,000 annually, whilst sources from MHA (May 2007) indicated that for both years 2005 and 2006, the number of PR granted was above 50,000. With this set of figures, I believed the prioritization of the citizens over the non-citizens phase is fair and impartial.
30th June 2008 marks the first day of Primary One Registration. But it is still not too late. There are future generations to come, as this is an annual recurring event. Ultimately, MOE should just bite the bullet and move on.
I have previously written in about this matter but had not received any official reply from the Ministry of Education. Perhaps as I am writing this article, they are already in the midst of a strategy review to tackle this perennial issue.
The increasing number of Primary One registrations’ numbers and stressed-up parents are more than sufficient reasons for MOE to address this issue expeditiously.
The CPF board has tweaked their system time and again. They have refined the CPF minimum sum and withdrawal rates for aged 65 and above constantly over the years. No policies are cast in stone. MOE should follow suit. Continually, MOE should do an assessment of the situation on hand and improve their policies to best suit the changing times and needs.
No doubt the phases have been in place for many years now and used to serve us well. However, due to dramatic demographics changes over long period of time, it is high time for an alteration.
In Singapore, birth rates have declined stealthily yet student population has increased over the years. Schools have merged and relocated. Classrooms sizes are shrinking. Primary One intakes are important as they formed the basic building blocks of our nations. These young minds will spend the next 10 or 12 years of their life in our educational system. I purport we have not a radical change in the registration produce but a gradual one done quickly.
For one, we should call a spade a spade. It is futile making panicky parents more worried by connecting numeric supremacy to registration phases.
I propose the following registration stages to cut red tape and introduce more transparency and equitability.
Siblings Phase – This phase is for children with existing brothers or sisters already studying in the school. They should be automatically granted a place in the school.
Citizens Phase – Next, come Singapore Citizen phase. This will give priority to our sons and daughters born on local soil.
Non-citizens Phase – Lastly, the non-citizens phase will cater to Permanent Residents (PRs) and children with foreign passports. These growing numbers ought to have a chance to grow together. This phase will probably include a balloting segment in event there is no vacancy left due higher than expected take-up rates in the earlier two phases.
Singapore’s birth rate have been hovering below 40,000 annually, whilst sources from MHA (May 2007) indicated that for both years 2005 and 2006, the number of PR granted was above 50,000. With this set of figures, I believed the prioritization of the citizens over the non-citizens phase is fair and impartial.
30th June 2008 marks the first day of Primary One Registration. But it is still not too late. There are future generations to come, as this is an annual recurring event. Ultimately, MOE should just bite the bullet and move on.
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