Why many parents still obsess over popular primary schools

As seen in the experiences of Mr Loh who went to Nanyang Primary School and Ms Yeo who studied at Tao Nan School, an entry into a “top” school can help propel students into higher socioeconomic classes.

To limit the competition around school registration and make the system fairer, Asst Prof Ho of SMU suggested removing all forms of priority criteria in the primary school balloting process, save for sibling and staff advantages, and assign children to schools only based on their residential address.

“Then entry to a school wouldn’t depend on what school your parents attended or whether they put in 80 hours volunteering for the Hokkien Huay Kuan, for example,” she said.

“This would help with ensuring a diverse population of students in each school, and would reduce travel time for everyone and the stresses that come with those early morning commutes.”

She acknowledged that this, however, will not stop higher-income families from moving into certain neighbourhoods just so they can live closer to more desirable primary schools. 

Other experts said more effort needs to be put into showcasing the strengths of each individual primary school across the island and how former students from these schools have achieved success in life, in order to reinforce the society’s psyche that every school is a good school.

Dr Smeltzer from the RD American School said, for example, her school conducts workshops open to the public that allow parents and their children to experience first hand the kind of education that her school provides, and this could be replicated by primary schools here, too.

“If you strongly believe that your school has something to offer … find ways to make that more accessible,” she said, adding that empowering parents with as much information as possible would go a long way in reducing their anxiety when making such an important decision.

For its part, MOE said that the Primary 1 Registration Framework balances the diverse considerations that different families have, including the convenience of having a younger sibling attend the same school as their older sibling, school-home proximity and ties that parents have with the school.

“MOE also recognises the contributions of schools’ alumni members and their value-add in preserving the heritage and ethos of our schools,” said Ms Lim from the ministry.