EDB announces arrangements on application for S1 discretionary places
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Parents wishing to apply for S1 DPs in government, aided and caput secondary schools as well as Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) secondary schools participating in the SSPA System for their children have to submit the applications directly to the schools concerned between January 3 and 17, 2023.
An EDB spokesman said, "The schools to which parents apply for DPs are not restricted by districts. Parents are strongly advised to consider the schools in all respects, such as their educational philosophy, tradition, religion, admission criteria, development and operation, as well as their children's abilities, aptitude and interests, so as to make a suitable school choice. Parents may refer to the relevant information in the Secondary School Profiles (www.chsc.hk/secondary) or school websites for reference.
Parents may refer to the Handbook for Application for Secondary One Discretionary Places for the list of government, aided and caput as well as participating DSS secondary schools accepting DP applications and the number of DPs for application. The Handbook will be distributed to primary schools tomorrow, when it will also be available on the bureau's homepage (www.edb.gov.hk) and 24-hour Automatic Telephone Enquiry System on 2891 0088.
Digitalisation of S1 admission
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In line with the Smart Government strategy, the EDB will implement digitalisation of S1 admissions starting from 2023. Parents who have registered as SSPA e-Platform users and bound their account to "iAM Smart+" may submit DP applications and check application results via the SSPA e-Platform. The EDB encourages parents to register with "iAM Smart+" (www.iamsmart.gov.hk/reg) as early as possible for more convenient and faster services throughout the entire S1 application process. Please refer to the related videos and Parent's Guide on the bureau's homepage for detailed procedures for creating and logging in an SSPA e-Platform account and for submitting applications via the e-Platform.
Submission of S1 DP applications
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Starting from this cycle, parents may submit the S1 DP application forms and other required documents to secondary schools via the SSPA e-Platform. If parents prefer to submit the duly completed application forms and other necessary documents directly to the schools in person, they should note the school office hours and the Vaccine Pass arrangement implemented in schools. If the applications are submitted by post, please ensure all documents are mailed before the deadline (based on the postmark date). The schools will post the Parent's Copy of the application form back to the parents for retention.
The two paper or electronic application forms that parents will receive will show Order of School Preference 1 and School Preference 2 respectively. Order of School Preference 1 stands for the student's first-choice school and Order of School Preference 2 stands for the student's second-choice school. In all circumstances, primary and secondary schools should not request students or parents to disclose their order of preference. Likewise, applicants and their parents should not indicate their order of preference to schools.
The spokesman reminded parents to read carefully the Notes for Parents on Application for Secondary One Discretionary Places. Parents should not submit applications to more than two secondary schools participating in the SSPA no matter whether the applications are submitted in paper form or via the SSPA e-Platform. Otherwise, the DP applications of their children will be rendered void. In addition, if parents have submitted a paper application form to a secondary school, they should not submit a duplicate application via the SSPA e-Platform, and vice versa.
The spokesman added, "Students who are successful in the DP application stage will not be allocated a school place in central allocation (CA). Parents should, therefore, apply to schools of their preference. The EDB will match students' preferences against schools' Successful/Reserve Lists for Discretionary Places. If a student is successful in both schools to which he or she has applied, allocation will be based on the student's order of preference."
Notification arrangements for successful DP applicants
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The spokesman reminded that under the notification arrangements for successful DP applicants, if students are included by participating secondary schools in their Successful Lists for Discretionary Places, their parents will receive notifications from the schools on March 31, 2023. Parents who have registered as SSPA e-Platform users will also receive notifications for successful DP applicants via the SSPA e-Platform on the same day. The parents concerned do not need to reply to the schools whether they would accept the offers. The allocation results of DPs and CA will be released at the same time on July 11, 2023.
If parents have enquiries about the DP application, they are advised to consult their children's primary schools or approach the secondary schools directly. For general enquiries, parents may contact the SPA Section of the EDB (Tel: 2832 7740 and 2832 7700; address: Office 2, 2/F, Manulife Financial Centre, 223 Wai Yip Street, Kwun Tong).
Ends/Monday, December 5, 2022
Issued at HKT 15:00
Issued at HKT 15:00
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