Woman charged over giving false home address during P1 registration to get child enrolled

A woman who allegedly lied about her home address to have her daughter enrolled in a primary school was charged on June 5.

The 41-year-old woman was handed one charge of giving false information to a public servant and two charges under the National Registration Act.

She cannot be named because of a gag order to protect her child's identity.

According to court documents, the woman, between June and September 2024, gave false information to the principal and vice-principal of a school during the Primary 1 registration exercise in 2023. The name of the school was redacted in charge sheets.

The woman said she intends to plead guilty and will not be engaging a defence lawyer.

Those convicted of giving false information to a public servant and intending for the public servant to omit the true state of facts can be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said on its website that it takes a serious view of parents intentionally using an address solely for the purpose of Primary 1 registration.

MOE said if it finds there was an intention to abuse the system, or if parents cannot prove that information provided during Primary 1 registration was accurate, the child will be transferred to another school.

Parents will not be able to choose which school the child gets transferred to, the ministry added.

In 2018, a woman was fined $5,000 after she gave a false address to enrol her child in a prestigious school during the Primary 1 registration exercise in 2015.

Her husband was fined $4,000 for giving a false contact address to a registration officer at a police post.

The couple had lied that their residential address was in Bishan when they were still living in Serangoon Gardens.

In another case in 2015, a man was fined $5,000 for lying to a school principal about where he lived to get his daughter admitted to a primary school.

The man had indicated his address as being within 1km to 2km of a particular school, allowing his daughter to secure a spot there.

His identity card showed the same address, but the man actually lived in Balestier Road, which fell outside the priority radius.