Proposal for Primary 1 Registration's Distance Criterion to Take Into Account Temporary Occupation Permit Date of Residence

Dr Choo Pei Ling asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry has reviewed whether the current Primary 1 registration framework for new residential developments should recognise the Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) date, or other evidence of actual residence, instead of the Vacant Possession Date (VPD), when determining eligibility to use a residential address for home-school distance priority; and (b) if not, why not.

As mentioned in an earlier Parliamentary Question in July, the Ministry of Education (MOE) regularly reviews the provision of Primary 1 places, taking into account demographic trends and upcoming housing developments. MOE ensures that there are sufficient Primary 1 places for Singaporean children at both the national and regional levels.

Nevertheless, demand varies across schools depending on parents’ preferences. Some schools may be oversubscribed while neighbouring schools have vacancies. Parents who are unsuccessful in securing a place in their preferred school may participate in subsequent phase(s) they are eligible for. If a child remains unplaced after Phase 2C (Supplementary), MOE will post the child to a school within reasonable distance from home, subject to vacancies. Currently, around 98% of Singapore Citizen and Permanent Resident children obtain a place in a primary school of their choice or within 2km of their home. This has been stable over the past few years.

The Primary 1 intake for this year's Primary 1 Registration Exercise was adjusted because the cohort entering Primary 1 in 2027 and in subsequent years is getting smaller. This is part of MOE's broader effort to manage the impact of falling school enrolment. If this is not done, more schools may need to be merged, and this will affect the accessibility and geographical spread of schools across Singapore. The adjustments also help to ensure that our schools have sufficient student enrolment to offer a meaningful range of learning opportunities and programmes for their students.

On the use of a new property address, the Vacant Possession Date (VPD) must be within two years of the child's entry into Primary 1. The child must reside in that address for at least 30 months, starting from the time the family moves into the new address. MOE uses VPD because it is the legally binding commitment for delivery of possession by the developer, as indicated in the Sale and Purchase Agreement. MOE does not accept an expected temporary occupation permit (TOP) date, as it is an estimated date by the developer that can be subject to change depending on construction progress. We continually review our policies and will consider such feedback.