Automatic Primary 1 Placement for Children from Single-parent or Financially Disadvantaged Families and Standardising School Parent Volunteer Criteria

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Ms Elysa Chen, Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether the ongoing review of the Primary One Registration Framework with the intent to strengthen open access and to support a good social mix in our schools will include consideration of granting automatic priority placement, in lieu of balloting, to children from single-parent or financially disadvantaged families who reside within a school's home-distance radius; and (b) if not, why not.

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Yip Hon Weng, Yio Chu Kang

Question

To ask the Minister for Education regarding parent volunteering as a route to Phase 2B priority (a) whether the Ministry has assessed selection and admission outcomes by parents’ income, occupation and working arrangements; (b) why schools may select volunteers without common published criteria or flexible service options; and (c) whether the Ministry will standardise safeguards or reconsider linking admission priority to unpaid volunteering.

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr David Hoe, Jurong East-Bukit Batok GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry will assess whether Phase 2B priority for parent volunteers may incentivise participation solely to secure Primary 1 admission for children; and (b) whether, in its ongoing review of the Primary 1 registration framework, the Ministry will consider restructuring or removing these routes to promote equitable access.

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Low Wu Yang Andre, Non-Constituency Member of Parliament

Question

To ask the Minister for Education for schools that balloted in Phases 2A or 2B, whether the Ministry will publish (i) the proportion of each Primary 1 cohort admitted through each eligibility pathway and (ii) its assessment of how the pathways affect access for families without prior school affiliations and the socio-economic diversity of the school.

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Ms Gho Sze Kee, Mountbatten

Question

To ask the Minister for Education whether, as part of the Ministry’s review of the Primary 1 Registration Framework, the Parent Volunteer Scheme will be reviewed in its entirety, including if schools should retain any discretion in its implementation or a common and standardised approach should apply across all schools.

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik, Sengkang GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education (a) whether the ongoing review of the Primary 1 registration framework will include reviewing the parent volunteer scheme for Primary 1 registration given that some schools have discontinued it; and (b) if not, what safeguards exist to ensure parents unable to commit volunteer hours are not disadvantaged.

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Ms Elysa Chen, Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC

Question

To ask the Minister for Education as schools discontinue Phase 2B parent volunteer schemes (a) whether the Ministry expects registration pressure to shift toward Phase 2A, which similarly favours alumni, Ministry of Education (MOE) Kindergarten enrolment, and staff ties; and (b) whether Phase 2A criteria will be reviewed alongside Phase 2B.

Response

1. MOE has been reviewing the Primary One Registration Framework and will share the outcome of the review soon.