Dear readers,
About two weeks ago, CNA reported on a 42-year-old mother who had been sentenced to one week's jail for lying about her address to enrol her daughter in a popular primary school.
The story was widely read and shared, likely because it touched a nerve, reflecting the sometimes extreme lengths that Singaporean parents would go to, to secure a coveted spot for their child in a popular primary school.
Indeed, as the judge in the case noted, education holds an exalted place in Singapore's society, and few decisions stir parental instinct or evoke as much hope, anxiety and resolve as those relating to a child's schooling.
And this is despite the fact that for the past two decades or so, the government has sought to spread resources fairly across all schools so that every school is a good school.
Other changes have been made to change parents' mindsets, such as by tweaking admission criteria and not publishing primary schools' top scores.
But clearly the obsession over "top" primary schools remains. Why is this so, and what could be done to shift this perception?
In the first place, how important is a child's primary education in determining their success later in life?
In this weekend's Big Read, CNA TODAY dives into these questions and more.
Yours faithfully,
Yasmine Yahya
Deputy Chief Editor, CNA Digital (TODAY, Lifestyle & Luxury)
