Impact of Reduced Primary 1 Intake on Home-school Distance Balloting at Oversubscribed Schools

Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik asked the Minister for Education (a) what assessment has been made on how the reduction in Primary 1 intake will affect Home-school Distance balloting at oversubscribed schools; (b) whether the Ministry tracks which estates, including new BTO estates, do not have a primary school within 1km; and (c) whether the number of Phase 2C reserved places will be reviewed, given the reduced intake.

My response will address the Parliamentary Question raised by Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik on the reduction of Primary 1 places set down for today, as well as a related question raised by Assoc Prof Jamus Lim for a subsequent Sitting.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) regularly reviews the provision of Primary 1 places, taking into account factors including demographic trends and upcoming housing developments. While demand varies across schools depending on parents' preferences, MOE ensures that there are sufficient Primary 1 places for our children at both the national and regional levels.

The adjustment to the Primary 1 intake for the upcoming Primary 1 Registration Exercise reflects the smaller cohort entering Primary 1 in 2027 and in the years ahead. This is also part of MOE's broader effort to manage the impact of falling school enrolment, minimising the need for school mergers, while maintaining a geographical spread of schools across Singapore. The adjustments help to ensure that our schools have sufficient student enrolment to offer a meaningful range of learning opportunities and programmes for their students.

For Sengkang in particular, four of the 12 schools in Sengkang saw balloting at Phase 2C in last year's P1 Registration Exercise. However, the other eight schools in Sengkang had more than 650 places available during Phase 2C Supplementary. This was more than double the number of applicants who did not get a place in the four schools that balloted at Phase 2C. So, we expect there to be more than sufficient P1 places in Sengkang for the upcoming P1 Registration Exercise, even though some schools will continue to see balloting at Phase 2C.

MOE has also progressively strengthened open access within the Primary 1 Registration Framework through Phase 2C, which is open to students regardless of whether they have prior connections to the school. MOE had increased the number of reserved Phase 2C places from zero to 20 in 2014; and from 20 to 40 in 2022. As announced earlier this year, MOE is reviewing the Primary 1 Registration Framework to further strengthen open access and to support a good social mix in our schools. We will share more details when the review is completed.