Our family has recently been put through the wringer over the Primary 1 registration for one of our grandchildren.

We lost out in the ballot during phases 2A and 2B, and now have to join the competition in Phase 2C, which is open to children who have no prior links to the school.

The anxiety faced by families is also felt by the six-year-olds, whose feelings of despondency worsen with each unsuccessful ballot as they watch their neighbours celebrate their success.

The situation seems worse this year due to the Ministry of Education's move to double the number of places reserved for Phase 2C, reducing the number of places available in earlier phases.

For children endorsed in Phase 2B by the church or clan directly connected with the primary school, the effort of generations of family members who contributed their time could go to waste if the applicant is unlucky in the ballot, even if the family is living 500m from the school.

The distance-based priority has long skewed the real estate situation, with people choosing to move to be near popular schools.

But with dozens of applicants living within 1km of the school, people are now finding that living in the 1km to 2km radius may not be a big advantage.

Tan Fooi Chee