82 primary schools to hold ballot for Phase 2C of P1 registration

In the latest stage of the Primary 1 registration process in Singapore, 82 primary schools are set to conduct a ballot for spots in Phase 2C. This marks a slight decrease from the previous year’s 83 schools that faced a similar situation. Notably, Princess Elizabeth Primary School in Bukit Batok received the highest number of applications, with 283 applicants competing for 48 available spots, indicating a high demand for limited spaces.

Nan Hua Primary School in Clementi and Northland Primary School in Yishun were also heavily oversubscribed, with Nan Hua Primary receiving 192 applications for 40 vacancies, and Northland Primary receiving 200 applications for 44 places. Notably, some schools such as Canossa Catholic Primary School, Jing Shan Primary School, and Oasis Primary School, which received more applications than available spots, will not need to hold a ballot due to having sufficient vacancies for applicants of the same citizenship status and home-to-school distance category.

For Opera Estate Primary School, a ballot will be conducted for permanent residents (PRs) who live more than 2km from the school. This comes as part of the Ministry of Education’s efforts to prevent an over-concentration of PR children in local primary schools. Opera Estate Primary School is one of the schools with a cap on PR intake in 2023.

The Ministry of Education made several changes to the Primary 1 registration system, including increasing the number of reserved spots in Phase 2C from 20 to 40 to promote accessibility to primary schools for all children. In the current year’s Phase 2C, eight schools, such as Catholic High School and CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School, are left with just 40 places each at the beginning of this stage. Results for this stage will be announced next Tuesday, and vacancies for the subsequent Phase 2C Supplementary will also be disclosed on the same day.

Overall, the Primary 1 registration process in Singapore continues to see strong demand for limited school spots, with oversubscribed schools conducting ballots and adjustments made to the system to ensure fair access for all children.

Source: Straits Times