Fewer than 15 percent of students admitted under Phase 2C of the Primary 1 registration exercise at 12 popular schools in Singapore live in public housing, Education Minister Desmond Lee revealed on October 7 in Parliament. The statistic was cited during his response to questions from Members of Parliament concerning recent adjustments to the Primary 1 registration framework announced by the Ministry of Education (MOE) on September 10.

The changes, set to take effect in the 2027 registration exercise, will see most schools increase their reserved Phase 2C spots from 40 to 60. Phase 2C covers applicants without prior ties to a school, with priority given to children living near the school. For 12 schools located in neighborhoods where public housing makes up less than 40 percent of residences within a two-kilometer radius, officials will further divide the 60 Phase 2C places—and any remaining spots from earlier phases—into two allocation tracks. One track will serve children living within two kilometers, and the other will accommodate those residing beyond that distance. This aims to foster a more diverse intake by expanding access to students outside the immediate vicinity.

Minister Lee explained that the two-track approach addresses imbalances identified in these neighborhoods, where the proportion of students from public housing admitted under Phase 2C is notably low. By monitoring this and adjusting the allocation, MOE seeks to promote greater social diversity within schools.

However, some MPs expressed concerns that the new framework might inadvertently disadvantage students living closest to the affected schools. Gho See Kwee, MP for Mountbatten, highlighted anxiety among parents in her ward about Kong Hwa School, which is highly oversubscribed and falls within the group of 12 schools implementing the new scheme. She noted that four other nearby schools—Tanjong Katong Primary, Tao Nan School, CHIJ Katong (Primary), and Ngee Ann Primary—are also on the list. Gho questioned whether restricting Phase 2C spots along these two geographic tracks risks penalizing children living near these schools and assumes that children farther away come from different socio-economic backgrounds.

In response, Lee clarified that the expanded reservation of Phase 2C places is designed specifically to increase priority for children living near schools like Kong Hwa. He emphasized that the overarching goal of these changes is to broaden school access for students without prior affiliations while encouraging more mixing across different social backgrounds within the student body.