Phase 2C of Primary 1 registration opens

Phase 2C of the annual Primary 1 registration, which is considered the most competitive, kicked off yesterday.

The fifth of seven phases is for Singapore citizens and permanent residents (PRs) who do not enjoy any priority admission, and is based on home-to-school distance.

The open phase usually has the highest number of schools needing a ballot, compared with the earlier stages. As many as 101 schools - more than half of the 186 participating schools last year - were oversubscribed in Phase 2C.

Of the 181 participating schools this year, 12 have only 20 places each on offer in this phase. They include Catholic High School, Nanyang Primary School and Rulang Primary School.

Since the 2020 P1 registration exercise, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has also capped the intake of PR children in phases 2C and 2C Supplementary for some schools. The cap, which is between 25 and 30 per cent of the school's planned P1 intake, aims to prevent any concentration of PR children in primary schools.

This applies to eight schools this year, down from 10 last year.

They include Bukit Timah Primary School, Changkat Primary School and Clementi Primary School. On its website, MOE said the cap for these schools does not change the priority that Singapore citizens have over PRs.

In Parliament on March 3, then Education Minister Lawrence Wong said MOE would review the P1 registration framework to see how it could increase the number of places set aside under Phase 2C. Since 2014, every school sets aside 40 places for children with no prior connection with the school - 20 in Phase 2B and 20 in Phase 2C.

Phase 2B is for children whose parents are school volunteers, active community leaders or have ties to church or clan associations directly connected with the school.

Any changes in MOE's review will take effect starting with the cohort of children registering next year to enter Primary 1 in 2023.

For Phase 2C, parents can register online using the Primary One Internet System or an online form in the system. Applications for this phase closes tomorrow at 4.30pm and the results will be released in two weeks, on Aug 17.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 04, 2021, with the headline Phase 2C of Primary 1 registration opens. Subscribe