The scheme was meant to build closer ties between parents and schools. Has it achieved its intended purpose, or outlived its usefulness? 

Synopsis: On Wednesdays, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.

Would you volunteer your time and effort to get your child into a primary school of your choice? For many parents, it’s a no-brainer - even if it involves a huge commitment. 

Parent volunteering was introduced as part of the P1 registration system as a way to encourage parents to be more involved in their child’s education and build closer ties between parents and the school. Schools also benefitted from the extra help in their programmes and events. 

In 1998, it was announced that parent volunteers would have to complete at least 40 hours of service to the school to register their child in an earlier phase of P1 registration. 

But the scheme’s immense popularity among parents has caused it to become increasingly competitive. Some parents ballot to have a chance to volunteer. Others prepare detailed curriculums or send CVs to schools. Some schools no longer accept parent volunteers. 

It’s raised questions: Given that volunteering requires time, effort and skills, does the scheme really only benefit parents who have resources? 

And isn’t volunteering meant to be something done out of a genuine desire to do good, rather than expecting something in return? 

How did the parent volunteer scheme turn into an arms race? Has it outlived its usefulness? Is it time to scrap the scheme entirely? 

In this episode of In Your Opinion, Assistant Opinion Editor Lianne Chia speaks with Associate Professor Jason Tan from the National Institute of Education to understand the original intentions of the scheme, what happened along the way - and why choosing a child’s primary school has become such a high-stakes, high anxiety exercise. 

Highlights (click/tap above):  

4:20 Has the parent volunteer scheme achieved its initial purpose? 

5:59 Does the scheme turn volunteering into a transaction? 

9:33 How did the P1 volunteering scheme become an arms race? 

16:22 Can we really blame parents? 

23:59 Is there a way we can return the scheme to its original intention? 

27:32 Should we scrap the volunteering scheme - or double down on it?  

Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH

Host: Lianne Chia ([email protected])

Produced and edited by: Hadyu Rahim 

Executive producers: Danson Cheong & Lynda Hong 

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