******************************************
Children who have joined the Primary One Admission (POA) System for September, 2006, but have not secured a discretionary place can take part in Central Allocation by making their choice of schools on either Saturday (January 21) or Sunday (January 22).
"By participating in Central Allocation, these children will be allocated a government or aided primary school place," a spokesman for the Education and Manpower Bureau said today (January 16).
"The School Places Allocation Section of the bureau has written to the parents concerned inviting them to make their choice of schools at a specified Central Allocation Centre. Each centre will operate from 9.30am to 12.30pm and from 1.30pm to 4.30pm on both January 21 and January 22."
"A completed 'Choice of Schools Form' must be returned to the same centre on either of the two days," the spokesman said.
"Parents who have not yet received the invitation letter should call the School Places Allocation Section on 2832 7700 as soon as possible," he added.
Parents who have recently moved or have plans to move in the near future are required to inform the School Places Allocation Section so that their children can be allocated a school place in the school net where their new home is located.
For enquiries about the procedures for Central Allocation, please call the bureau's 24-hour automatic telephone enquiry service at 2891 0088.
Under the POA System, the whole territory is divided into 37 school nets.
Ten per cent of individual schools' Primary One places for Central Allocation are earmarked for unrestricted school choices. Parents may make up to three choices of schools in or outside the school net in which they reside. The remaining 90% are for restricted school choices and parents should select the primary schools available in their school net in order of their preference.
The computer-programmed Central Allocation will first process the unrestricted school choices and then the restricted school choices.
For oversubscribed schools, the order of priority in allocating places will be determined by "Random Numbers" generated by the computer for individual applications. This is to ensure fairness to all applicants.
The results of Central Allocation have been scheduled for release on June 3.
Ends/Monday, January 16, 2006
Issued at HKT 15:12
NNNN
