Chapter 6
Reduction of Competition and Control of
the Age Structure
6.1
Many of the problems connected with entry to primary school in
recent years have been caused by:
6.2
(a)
(b)
the strong desire on the part of many parents to get their children into the most popular schools; and
population changes and shifts.
The background to (a) has been set out in earlier chapters of this paper. It has been pointed out that the desire to ensure a good secondary education has led to strong competitiveness not only during the primary course but also at the pre-primary level. Many parents apply to more than one popular primary school. To increase the chances of success, most parents have probably made their children undergo a kindergarten course where too much emphasis is placed on the attainment of high academic standards. Even if the harmful educational effects are discounted, the fact that parents and young children have to go from school to school to attend interviews subjects them to unnecessary stress. From the schools' point of view, the situation is not very much better. Faced with a large number of applicants, most of the Heads concerned find it necessary to interview them. Very often, in practice, these "interviews" take the form of tests or examinations. Kindergartens become aware of the format of the tests conducted by individual primary schools and try to 'cram' children with the necesssary facts. One long-term effect of the situation is that the concentration of the ablest children in a relatively small number of primary schools intensifies the difference in standards between these and other schools, and so further intensifies the competition to get into them.
6.3
With regard to (b), population changes and shifts, the decline of the primary age-group in recent years together with the movement of population to developing areas, where the Government has a firm commitment to provide the full number of primary schools required, have resulted in a considerable number of half-empty classes and under-utilised schools in the older districts.
6.4
Until the mid-1970's there was virtually no central control over Primary 1 entry except into Government primary schools. However, a measure of control and assistance has recently been exercised in order to minimise the occurrence of partially filled classes and schools.
6.5
To what extent the entry to primary school should be controlled and how much discretion should be left to the individual school is a matter which must finally be settled after public debate. However, the Government is convinced that in view of the problems set out in paragraphs 6.2 and 6.3, an increased degree of control is essential.
6.6
It has been argued that the well-established schools have achieved their excellent reputation through energy and devotion to education, that they have established traditions which are themselves valuable, and that any attempt
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