Biggest Upset

2017 P1 registration has entered the final phase 2C. So after we had registered via 2A1 under Alumni priority, we were still monitoring our "stock market".

Not surprisingly at alma mater, it entered balloting at 2A2 phase with 23 applicants vying for 19 places. So 4 parents were balloted out at this phase. But at 2B which is meant for clan, church association, parental volunteers and grassroots, it was relatively quiet and peaceful with 5 places left over from this phase.

We got to know Jon's classmate who was successfully enrolled into the same school via 2B and it must be a huge relief for the parents.

But for us, phase 2B turned out to be the biggest upset. As most would have known, our preference is with another school. So at the end of Day 1 of 2B, a check at MOE website showed a total of 22 applicants for 28 places. With only 6 places left, the school also did not reveal the number of parental volunteers they have, it was anyone's guess whether the school would go into balloting. If so, we could be left with no school as we are out of 2km.

If you have studied the MOE's criteria for successful registration, you would know > 2km home-school distance is very risky as I might not even get a chance to ballot. And if you are like me (more on the kiasu side), the chances of entering a balloting situation is high and whether I would get a chance to ballot is really a big question mark.

So after much deliberation, we decided to give up.

At the end of Day 2 which is the also the final day of 2B, the final outcome made us fall off the chair.

I couldn't believe it myself. It was a walk over of 26 applicants vying for 29 places! If we had gone ahead and bet on it, we could have been the 27th parents! This was indeed a big upset.

What can I say? This is God's will for us to remain in alma mater. What can we do? Except to embrace what we already have and be thankful that we have a school for our son.