XN000022-1982-10-14 — Page 5

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1982

78 949 PARTICIPATE IN NEW PRIMARY ONE ADMISSION SYSTEM

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A TOTAL OF 78 949 CHILDREN HAVE SO FAR APPLIED FOR A PRIMARY ONE PLACE IN GOVERNMENT AND AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOLS FOR THE 1983 ACADEMIC YEAR UNDER THE NEW PRIMARY ONE ADMISSION SYSTEM, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY.

OF THEM, THE PARENTS OF 77 495 CHILDREN HAD EXERCISED THE IR RIGHT OF CHOICE BY APPLYING DIRECT TO A PARTICULAR SCHOOL, WHILE THE PARENTS OF 1 454 CHILDREN HAD OPTED FOR CENTRAL ALLOCATION BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID ONLY 24 GOVERNMENT OR AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOLS HAD RECEIVED MORE THAN 400 APPLICATIONS, WITH ONLY ONE RECEIVING MORE THAN 1 000 APPLICATIONS.

HE NOTED THAT MANY OF THESE SCHOOLS NORMALLY RECEIVED MORE THAN 2 000 OR EVEN 3 000 APPLICATIONS EACH YEAR FOR THE IR PRIMARY ONE PLACES PREVIOUSLY.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS WILL NOW COMMENCE TO SELECT CHILDREN TO FILL THEIR PRIMARY ONE DISCRETIONARY PLACES BASED ON A POINTS SYSTEM. IN DOING SO, THEY MAY OR MAY NOT CONDUCT INTERVIEWS WITH THE APPLICANTS.

HE HOWEVER STRESSED THAT EVEN IF INTERVIEWS WERE HELD, THEY WILL RELATE TO A CHILD'S EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE ONLY AND NO TESTS OF ANY SORT MAY BE GIVEN.

+OFFICERS FROM THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WILL BE PRESENT AT SUCH INTERVIEWS, HE ADDED.

PRIMARY SCHOOLS WILL POST A NAME LIST OF THE CHILDREN SELECTED IN EARLY DECEMBER, 1982. +IF PARENTS ACCEPT SUCH OFFERS, IT WILL BE REGARDED AS BINDING ON BOTH THE SCHOOLS AND THE PARENTS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

HE SAID CHILDREN WHO HAD OPTED FOR CENTRAL ALLOCATION AND WHO HAVE NOT BEEN OFFERED A DISCRETIONARY PLACE WILL BE CENTRALLY ALLOCATED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.

PARENTS SHOULD GO TO A SPECIFIED DISTRIBUTION/COLLECTION CENTRE IN MARCH 1983 TO COLLECT A CHOICE OF SCHOOLS' FORM AND LIST ALL PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN THEIR DISTRICT IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE.

IF A PARENT HAS PREVIOUSLY APPLIED UNSUCCESSFULLY FOR A DISCRETIONARY PLACE AT A SCHOOL IN THE DISTRICT IN WHICH HE LIVES, HE IS STILL ELIGIBLE TO INCLUDE THAT SCHOOL IN HIS PREFERENCE LIST. THE CENTRAL ALLOCATION IN EACH DISTRICT WILL BE PERFORMED BY COMPUTER BASED SOLELY ON PARENTAL CHOICE.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID RESULTS OF THE CENTRAL ALLOCATION WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN LATE JUNE NEXT YEAR AND PARENTS SHOULD COLLECT A SLIP FROM A DISTRICT DISTRIBUTION/COLLECTION CENTRE ON SPECIFIED DATES AND REGISTER THEIR CHILD WITH THE ASSIGNED SCHOOL AT THE TIME AND DATE INDICATED.