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Primary 1 school registration kicks off on July 3rd

Primary One school registration will be open from 3 July to 31 August this year.

In a press release on Wednesday, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said all primary schools will be open for registration from 8am to 11am, and from 2:30pm to 4:30pm on weekdays during this period.

The MOE also reassured parents that the 2013 Primary One (P1) “cohort size for 2013 is comparable to that of 2012” and that “there will be sufficient school places for all eligible P1 students on a regional and nationwide basis”.

The ministry also gave Singapore citizens (SC) the assurance they will be given “absolute priority” over permanent residents (PR) for this year’s registration exercise, where balloting is necessary. It should be noted that SCs and PRs will continue to be eligible for the same registration phrases.

Six existing schools – Canossa Convent Primary School, CHIJ Primary (Toa Payoh), Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary School, Nanyang Primary School, St. Anthony’s Primary School and St. Hilda’s Primary School – will be relocating in 2013, while there will also be seven new schools open for registration.

For more information on the 2012 Primary One Registration Exercise, visit MOE’s website here.

The annual primary school registration traditionally triggers a mad rush by parents to enroll their children in the most prestigious schools. This will be done in phases with Singapore citizens, those staying within a 2-km radius of their preferred school and being ex-alumni of the school being given priority.

Parents can also apply to be volunteers at their preferred schools in order to increase their chances of their child being registered under the much-coveted Phase 2B of the annual Primary 1 registration exercise.

Media reports say about 40,000 children enter Primary 1 each year and popular schools can receive up to 200 volunteer applications but accept only 30.

It was recently reported that several primary schools have upped the number of hours by parent volunteers hoping to get their kids enrolled in top school to 60 to 80 hours of voluntary work – significantly more than the “at least 40 hours” guideline stipulated by the MOE.
 
Raffles’ Girls Primary, St Hilda’s and Poi Ching School were reported to have increased their requirements from 40 to 60 hours, while Nanyang Primary increased the contribution hours to a whopping 80 hours.