P1 registration & social mobility?

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard.” You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:9-10)

I got a call from a friend recently asking for advice on P1 registration for her only daughter. I could feel the stress and anxiety she had over this matter. It came as a surprise that this issue remains as contentious and socially divisive as two decades ago when my eldest girl went through the same exercise. This implies that most parents today still do not accept that every primary school is equally good despite the assurance from the ministry. One can gauge the popularity of a particular school by the number of places registered under phase 2B, where many parents are willing to put up at least 40 hours of volunteer work in the school of their choice in a year in order to qualify.

Are the children of disadvantaged households really been deprived of head start when they ended up in the less popular primary schools? Is the pace of social mobility among the lower-income group been affected even by our primary school registration system? Personally I think for primary school level, as long as the parents take keen interest in their children’s studies, the kids should do well in PSLE. Now it seems that the clamour for the Singapore’s brand of meritocracy to be reformed is getting louder. The very success of such system apparently breeds a group of people who are the beneficiaries, believing the system is absolutely just and fair; that they are entitled to their rewards for their hardworking. In fact they view those who are not so successful under such system as slothful, undeserved help or support. It is ironical that these are the people who are against social redistribution policies of the government.

I think it is time for us to put a ‘compassionate’ touch to this system. We have to acknowledge that there are people down there who despite all their best efforts, for one reason or the other, could not move up the social and economic ladder.