April 7, 2009
I READ with disappointment the Ministry of Education's (MOE) policy on Primary 1 registration which seems to penalise - wrongfully - grandparents for helping out in caring for their grandchildren.
Under the current scheme, children living with their grandparents and within 1km of a school are allowed to ballot for a place only under the 1km to 2km category. This seems to contradict the Government's effort to promote this arrangement in the first place.
In 2004, then-Minister of State Chan Soo Sen advocated this set-up, encouraging the elderly to reprise their roles as grandparents after noting that there was a need to step up efforts in promoting intergenerational bonding lest the gap between generations widens.
The very purpose of introducing the Home-School Distance Prioritisation Scheme was to enhance the caregivers' convenience. If that was the intent, why are we punishing them by intentionally reducing the opportunity to enrol their wards in schools that are near their homes?
Should a child be unable to secure a place at nearby schools, grandparents are left with little choice, but to enrol their wards in schools located much farther away.
Use the school bus, one might suggest. But school buses cater only to regular school hours and are not able to accommodate pupils who participate in co-curricular activities.
With the number of families with both parents working set to grow here, especially since mothers are encouraged to return to the workforce, more will turn to grandparents to help out in caring for the children in their absence. A review by the MOE is in order.
Pang Tee Meng
Latest comments
Parents who live with their children got higher priority because they got to get their kids to school before going to work.
In comparison, grandparents who look after the grandchildren usually take up the job because they do not have another full time job.
In addition, this is also a guard against abuse for parents who actually live with their children but opt to use the grandparents' address for applying schools.
It does not guarantee to work out fairly for everyone, but it got some rational behind it.
Posted by: coolbeagle at Tue Apr 07 15:28:39 SGT 2009
[A good rational comment not usually seen on ST online forum comments page. I thought I should save it to remind myself that not everyone who comments on the online forum are cynical twats. Bravo coolbeagle!]
I READ with disappointment the Ministry of Education's (MOE) policy on Primary 1 registration which seems to penalise - wrongfully - grandparents for helping out in caring for their grandchildren.
Under the current scheme, children living with their grandparents and within 1km of a school are allowed to ballot for a place only under the 1km to 2km category. This seems to contradict the Government's effort to promote this arrangement in the first place.
In 2004, then-Minister of State Chan Soo Sen advocated this set-up, encouraging the elderly to reprise their roles as grandparents after noting that there was a need to step up efforts in promoting intergenerational bonding lest the gap between generations widens.
The very purpose of introducing the Home-School Distance Prioritisation Scheme was to enhance the caregivers' convenience. If that was the intent, why are we punishing them by intentionally reducing the opportunity to enrol their wards in schools that are near their homes?
Should a child be unable to secure a place at nearby schools, grandparents are left with little choice, but to enrol their wards in schools located much farther away.
Use the school bus, one might suggest. But school buses cater only to regular school hours and are not able to accommodate pupils who participate in co-curricular activities.
With the number of families with both parents working set to grow here, especially since mothers are encouraged to return to the workforce, more will turn to grandparents to help out in caring for the children in their absence. A review by the MOE is in order.
Pang Tee Meng
Latest comments
Parents who live with their children got higher priority because they got to get their kids to school before going to work.
In comparison, grandparents who look after the grandchildren usually take up the job because they do not have another full time job.
In addition, this is also a guard against abuse for parents who actually live with their children but opt to use the grandparents' address for applying schools.
It does not guarantee to work out fairly for everyone, but it got some rational behind it.
Posted by: coolbeagle at Tue Apr 07 15:28:39 SGT 2009
[A good rational comment not usually seen on ST online forum comments page. I thought I should save it to remind myself that not everyone who comments on the online forum are cynical twats. Bravo coolbeagle!]
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