YOU'VE heard of parents volunteering as event organisers and even telemarketers to get their kids into schools of their choice.

Local celebrities are no different when it comes to their children.

From free acting lessons to volunteer work, or depending if parents are affiliated to the school, they don't mind going all out to make sure their young ones get the best education.

Even Zoe Tay, who studied in the now defunct Kay Hua Primary School.

The Queen of Caldecott reportedly contacted Nanyang Primary School (NYPS) at Bukit Timah to discuss being a parent volunteer in order to secure a place for her son Brayden.

NYPS' famous former students include Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (then it was called the co-ed primary section of Nanyang Girls' High School) and pop star Stefanie Sun.

Don't forget that Brayden is only 4.

When contacted, NYPS principal Heng Boey Hong confirmed that she is discussing with the 41-year-old actress areas where Zoe can volunteer, including giving acting lessons.

Because of the school's popularity, parents have to commit to 80 hours of volunteer work at NYPS instead of the usual 40 as set by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

Areas of such work include sorting out school mail and directing traffic.

Parents can also volunteer in areas where they have an expertise in. For example, a designer can volunteer to design posters and Powerpoint slides.

But Madam Heng insisted that no special concessions would be given to celebrities.

When approached, Zoe declined to comment, saying it's a personal issue.

She's is not the only one willing to slog to send her child to a good school.

A former actor in his 40s also admitted to volunteering at one of the more famous primary schools here to increase the chances of enrolling his son there.

He agreed to speak to The New Paper on condition of anonymity to protect his son, 'in case he is ridiculed by his classmates'.

He said that he and his wife had given close to 80 hours of acting lessons to students at Ai Tong School before they were informed that enrolment was full.

They stopped their voluntary work and enrolled the boy in a neighbourhood school.

A few months later, a vacancy opened up when an Ai Tong student emigrated and their son was transferred there.

The devoted daddy said he thought the long hours of voluntary work were worth it, but he insisted that he is not a blind worshipper of branded schools.

He said: 'I like that the school has an equally strong emphasis on English and Mandarin. It also teaches the best of Eastern and Western beliefs and cultures.'

Other celebrities were luckier, working the affiliation route.

Veteran actress Lin Meijiao managed to enrol her only child Chantalle, now 14, in Ai Tong School as she was a member of the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan (SHHK).

Smooth enrolment

Only SHHK members who receive a recommendation from the association are eligible for Phase 2B registration of Primary 1 enrolment.

Six schools, among them Ai Tong School and Tao Nan School, are affiliated to the clan association.

That, plus the fact that her mother's home was within 2km of the school, made Chantalle's enrolment in Ai Tong 'quite smooth'.

When asked if she had joined the association to stand a better chance of securing a place, Meijiao would only give a coy smile.

Star Awards Best Actor winner Zheng Geping also had an advantage enrolling his son Calvert, 9, in St Andrew's Junior School as the family attends the affiliated St Andrew's Cathedral.

On the other hand, artistes Xiang Yun and Edmund Chen managed to enrol their two children, Chen Xi, who is 18 now, and Yixin, 9, in the popular Tao Nan School as Xiang Yun was a former student.

Edmund told The New Paper that it is not the prestige of a primary school that matters, but whether it has a good environment.

He considered factors such as the quality of students and whether there are noisy roads and construction around the school.

Edmund said enrolling a child in a premium school can place a lot of stress on the child.

He said: 'Tao Nan upgraded its compound when my son was in Primary 4 and construction went on for at least five years. With all that loud banging going on, no one could function with a right mind.'

He nevertheless kept Chen Xi in the school as he had only two more years to go.

The couple also moved homes eight times mainly to be closer to the schools the kids went to.

He claimed the move was to make it more convenient to drive their children to and from school.

TV host Vivian Lai, whose daughter, Vera, is the same age as Zoe's son, Brayden, has no qualms being a parent volunteer should she decide to enrol Vera in CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School.

'But I'm not the kan cheong (anxious) kind, so I'd probably only enquire about volunteering when Vera turns 6.

'And I'm totally okay volunteering as a librarian or traffic warden. In fact, cars will stop and traffic might become very smooth when drivers see me!'

She is also considering sending Vera to Anderson Primary School, located just beside her home. If so, Vivian may not need to volunteer her services.

Actor Darren Lim, on the other hand, is thankful that he won't have to queue or do volunteer work at popular schools.

The 37-year-old and his wife, former actress Evelyn Tan, have decided to home school their children Kristen, 4, and Jairus, 2.

The hassle of Primary 1 enrolment wasn't a factor in their decision but as Darren told The New Paper over the phone, he wouldn't join the race anyway.

He explained: 'I don't like it that there's a motive behind the volunteering. It's an exchange, and it's not right that voluntary work equals to an increased chance of enrolment.'

Darren said neighbourhood schools 'have proven to produce top scholars' as well.

This article was first published in The New Paper.