*********************************************************
Parents who want to apply for a Primary One (P1) place in government or aided schools for their children in September next year under the Primary One Admission (POA) System can obtain application forms starting from Wednesday (September 2) until September 25.
A spokesman for the Education Bureau (EDB) said today (August 31), "All Hong Kong children born on or before December 31, 2010, are eligible to join the POA System for admission to P1 in September 2016 provided they have not attended any primary schools and have never been allocated a P1 place.
"Parents of children who are attending kindergartens or kindergarten-cum-child care centres may obtain the application form, explanatory notes on how to complete the application form and a POA information leaflet from their kindergartens or kindergarten-cum-child care centres.
"For parents of children not attending kindergartens or kindergarten-cum-child care centres, the documents can be obtained from District Offices (Public Enquiry Service Centres) and the EDB's Regional Education Offices and School Places Allocation Section."
Parents wishing to apply for a POA discretionary place in a government or aided primary school should submit the completed application form together with all supporting documents directly to the school during school office hours between September 21 and 25.
At the Discretionary Places Admission stage, the school chosen is not restricted to the school net in which the child resides. However, parents are strongly advised to take into account possible transport problems when selecting a school not in their neighbourhood.
"Commuting daily from the Mainland to schools in Hong Kong will impose pressure both mentally and physically on children. Parents of children residing in the Mainland should consider seriously the impact on students' learning. They should also understand the situation of various boundary control points and make early transport arrangements on their own for their children to travel to and from schools," the spokesman reminded parents of applicant children residing in the Mainland.
"Only one application should be submitted for each child. If parents are found to have applied to more than one government or aided primary school, their application for a POA discretionary place will be rendered void," he said.
If parents are applying only for the POA Central Allocation, they may return the completed application forms with supporting documents during the period from September 21, 2015, to January 29, 2016, to the EDB's School Places Allocation Section at Office 2, 2/F, Manulife Financial Centre, 223 Wai Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon.
"When completing the POA application form, parents should fill in the actual residential address of their child. If a false address is given by parents to secure a P1 place for their child under the POA System, the application will be rendered void and the P1 place allocated will be withdrawn. The public is encouraged to report suspected cases of using a false address for POA applications to the School Places Allocation Section by calling the hotline at 2832 7700," the spokesman said.
Information on the procedures for the different stages of POA, revised arrangements for applicant children residing in the Mainland to participate in the Central Allocation stage of the POA System and the discretionary places quota of each school will be available from Wednesday (September 2) on the EDB's 24-hour hotline at 2891 0088 and its homepage, www.edb.gov.hk (path: Education System and Policy>Primary and Secondary School Education>School Places Allocation Systems>Primary One Admission System).
Parents who wish to enrol their children in Direct Subsidy Scheme primary schools, private primary schools or primary schools of the English Schools Foundation should apply to these schools direct as they are not included in the POA System. Parents should note that children who have accepted the offer of P1 places in Direct Subsidy Scheme primary schools will not be allocated P1 places in government or aided primary schools through the POA System.
Ends/Monday, August 31, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:06
NNNN
