The Ministry of Education (MOE) announced that from this year, manually balloting for primary one students will be replaced with a computerised process.
Balloting is currently conducted manually in schools. Computerising the process helps to streamline the P1 registration processes.
This makes it more convenient for parents, as they no longer need to make arrangements to physically attend the balloting in schools.
Under the existing P1 registration framework, if the number of applications exceeds the vacancies at a school during a particular registration phase, the remaining vacancies are allocated by ballot. "Similar to the manual process, computerised balloting ensures that all registrants that need to ballot are assured of an equal chance for admission into the school," said the MOE press statement.
Computerised balloting is a secure process which has been used by MOE for the Secondary One Posting and the Joint Admissions Exercises for many years.
The registration of children for admission to P1 classes in 2019 will be opened from 28 June 2018 to 31 October 2018.
MOE also introduced a two-step process for international students for the P1 registration exercise.
They will have to first an online "indication of interest" form via the MOE P1 website, from June 5 to June 11. Those who are notified in October by MOE that they can be offered a P1 place in a school, must register in-person at the designated schools during Phase 3 of the 2018 P1 registration exercise (in late October 2018).
International students who do not submit the ‘indication of interest’ form to MOE by 11 June 2018 will not be able to register during Phase 3 of the P1 registration exercise.
MOE wants to remind parents that the ‘indication of interest’ is not considered as registration.
