I think that neither one should be taken in place as part of the Primary school admission system.
Meritocracy allow the talented to remain talented. However, primary school is where they started to learn and pick up things fast. I think that everyone should get an equal opportunity to which primary school they are going to be admitted in. It should not matter whether the school cohort had did well or not for the PSLE scores. If at the start the wrong morale is being instilled to the child it affects the growth of the child. They will have the thinking that the neighbourhood school students are not worth to be friend with or etc. Why should we even create such a mentality to our future generations?
Why should we even group ourselves according to economic status and background? When we are first born to this world neither of us is able to choose which parent we want and what kind of background we wanted. Therefore we should not even allow the different economic status and background take the limelight as part of the primary school admission system. Take the article as an example. As the article mention that Raffles Girls’ Primary School is located at an area which is surrounded by many private housing estates. Many of their students are those who are living in those housing estates. Should it mean that those who are staying in the HDB Flat do not even have the chance or opportunity to admit into the school? The article also mentions that parents who are the alumni of the school have the top priority for their child to admit into the school. Is it really that admitting into a good school we will have better certifications and get higher pay as compared to those from a neighbouring school with the same qualifications?
Educations is something that all should be taking. Education is not something that the parent can take it as a comparison for. Parents should not be comparing of which is better and which is not. I am sure what MM Lee said was right. He made a visit to Raffles Girls’ Primary school and Punggol Primary school. He sees no different in the facility and school system. Therefore I think that it is more appropriate that there should not be any distinction between the good and neighbourhood school.
Neighbourhood school also allow student to do well and proceed on with better secondary school educations. I am sure it does not mean that never get into the better school since primary school they will not be able to go over to a better school during their secondary school life or even stop them from moving on to the university in the furture. If one is good is forever good. Going which ever school from start does not matter. However to me I think that the most important is the growth of the child in terms of thinking, maturity and how well they are being discipline.
