Jail sentence for P1 kid’s mum who lied about address could deter such behaviour but unlikely to eradicate it, say parents

When it finds these cases, MOE will engage the parents, and the child will be transferred to another school near where they live that has available vacancies. 

In cases where parents have provided false information about their registration address, MOE will also refer them to the police for investigation. 

In 2015, a man was initially sentenced to two weeks’ jail for providing false information about his residential address in the P1 registration exercise. This was reduced to a S$5,000 fine after his appeal to the High Court. 

In 2007, a former lawyer was sentenced to 11 months’ jail for forging and lying about his residential address to get his daughter into a reputable school in Bukit Timah.

Even then, using another address closer to the school doesn’t necessarily guarantee the child a spot, especially where popular schools are concerned, parents noted.

PARENTS’ REACTIONS

Elizabeth (not her real name), who is in her 30s and has an 8-year-old daughter, told CNA that she has heard of similar cases of parents using another address to get their children spots in what they perceive to be better schools.

For example, she has heard of parents who “go all the way” – renting another home closer to their ideal school to change their address, and paying a huge sum in rent to meet the 30-month requirement.

A child who gains priority admission through the distance category must reside at the address used for registration for at least 30 months from the start of the P1 registration exercise.

Ms Debra Lee, who has two sons aged 8 and 10, recalled applying for a spot in Ai Tong School for her older son, who was born in 2015. 

She knew of someone debating between staying put or moving to their other home elsewhere to apply for another school. This person was also toying with the idea of using the other address without moving back there. 

About the jail sentence, she said: “I would say that it would deter a group of people from doing that, but I believe there will still be loopholes.” 

Even the distance from the school matters if it comes down to a ballot, so some parents will still try to find other ways to move closer to their ideal school, said Ms Lee, noting the high rental prices of homes located near popular schools.