Parents of children who have joined the Primary One Admission System for September but have not secured a discretionary place for them can take part in Central Allocation by making their choice of schools on either Saturday, January 17 or Sunday, January 18.

By participating in Central Allocation, these children will be allocated a government or aided primary school place.

The Education & Manpower Bureau's School Places Allocation Section has written to the parents concerned inviting them to make their choice of schools at a specified distribution/collection centre that will operate from 9.30am to 12.30pm and from 1.30pm to 4.30pm on the two days.

A completed 'Choice of Schools Form' must be returned to the same centre on either of the two days. Parents who have not yet received the invitation letter should call the School Places Allocation Section on 2832 7700 as soon as possible.

24-hour enquiry service available

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, please call the bureau's 24-hour automatic telephone enquiry service at 2891 0088.

Under the system, Hong Kong is divided into 47 school nets and 10% of individual schools' Primary One places for Central Allocation are earmarked for unrestricted school choices.

Computer processes unrestricted school choices first

Parents may make 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 are scheduled for release on June 5.