Note: This is an article that concerns Singapore’s Primary 1 registration exercise.

A possible use-case of NFTs: Primary 1 registration.

Late 2021, MOE changed the P1 registration rules. The change doubled the number of vacancies reserved for Phase 2C, which is the phase for those with no prior connections to a primary school. In all phases, distance matters when registrants exceed vacancies and balloting is required. Priority is given to those who stay closer to the school.

There's an advantage to being able to apply for the earlier phases. Phase 1 - reserved for those children with a sibling already in the school - guarantees placement while Phase 2A has all the leftover vacancies less 60 reserved slots. It is likely that Phase 2A will have more vacancies than the reserved 60 for Phase 2B and 2C.

Basically, having a parent who is an alumni of the primary school is a plus as it allows the child to register during Phase 2A.

Now, I understand that it is the position of our government that we aspire for all our schools to be good schools. However, let's accept that some parents do have a preference for primary schools and there are some with the personal belief that some schools are better than others.

So what happens if you aren't an alumni of a preferred and believed better school? You could try moving nearer to that school and hope you get in via Phase 2C. Or you could try volunteering and hope to get in via Phase 2B. (Not a parent so not sure how onerous it is to become a parent volunteer.)

Or we can use NFTs.

What if every alumni of a primary school is given a NFT. When your first child gets into your alma mater, the NFT is burned (and maybe another without any privileges is minted). Since subsequent children will get in via Phase 1, the NFT with privileges is no longer needed.

Where the NFT changes the dynamics of P1 registration, is that it allows alumni without kids to transfer the privilege of attending their alma mater.

It is understandable there will be concerns about moral hazards in allowing such privileges to be liquid. In my opinion, we already put a price on giving the best to our children. Look at the fees of the top pre-primary schools. The Learning Lab charges at a level that allowed it to be sold in 2014 for an estimated $300 million. Parents buy properties to move closer to their preferred and believed better schools. Money is already being used to give what we believe is the best to our children.

Lastly, it is not necessary that the NFT has to be sold. If I believed I had benefited from my alma mater, and I prefer and believe that my alma mater is a better school, as someone without a child, would it be so wrong to transfer that privilege of attendance to another child for free? Or leave it to a DAO that aims to improve social mobility for all Singaporean children.