More schools to hold ballot in Phase 2B of P1 registration this year

A total of 33 primary schools drew more applications than places available in Phase 2B of the Primary 1 registration exercise this year, data from the Ministry of Education (MOE) website showed on Friday.

This means nearly a fifth of Singapore's 181 primary schools were oversubscribed in this phase.

Methodist Girls' School led the pack with 79 applicants for 20 places. Tao Nan School has 61 applicants for 23 places, while Ai Tong School has 48 applicants for 20 spots.

Phase 2B - the third phase of the registration exercise - is reserved for children whose parents volunteer at the school, those endorsed by the church or clan directly connected to the school, or those whose parents are endorsed as active community leaders.

Of the oversubscribed schools, three will not hold a ballot - Fairfield Methodist School, Xinmin Primary School and Northland Primary School, MOE said.

The Straits Times understands that this may be due to other factors, such as the citizenship status of applicants disqualifying some pupils in tie-breakers for spaces.

Meanwhile, 57 primary schools received no applications in this phase while a further 24 schools had one each.

Competition appears to be heating up. Last year, 26 schools held a ballot in this phase, while in 2020, 22 did so.

National Institute of Education Associate Professor Jason Tan said previously that MOE doubling the number of reserve places in the next phase - Phase 2C - may have prompted parents to rush to secure a spot in earlier phases, increasing competition.

MOE earlier announced that the number of places reserved for Phase 2C would double this year from 20 to 40, noting that this would lead to fewer places in the earlier phases.

Registration for Phase 2B began last Tuesday and closed the day after. The final results, including those of the ballots, will be released on Tuesday.

The next phase - 2C - will open for registration at 9am on Wednesday.

It is the first phase open to children with no prior links to the school, and is widely seen as the most competitive.