Singapore’s recent parliamentary debate over primary school admissions has put a familiar parental strategy in the city state under the spotlight – parents moving house to improve their children’s chances of getting into popular schools.
Speaking with This Week in Asia, property agents say some families in Singapore have been approaching them with the intention of buying or renting particular residences at least two years before their children’s primary school admission.
Living close to a sought-after school does not guarantee entry, however, as a family might still face balloting for a particular school if it is oversubscribed.
The debate comes as Singapore prepares to widen admission to 12 schools in predominantly private-housing neighbourhoods, in a bid to encourage greater social mixing.