Online application platform for Form 1 boarding opens, closing on December 31
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has officially activated its online application system for next year’s Form One school placements. This critical process, which determines the secondary educational path for thousands of pupils, has been launched even as the nation’s Grade Seven learners await their final results. The announcement, detailed in a communiqué to parents and guardians, confirms that the eMAP platform will remain accessible until the final day of December.
This development arrives amidst a cloud of controversy, with the very system designed to ensure fairness being accused of manipulation. Sources allege that certain headmasters have been interfering with the platform to create vacancies for candidates whose parents are willing to pay premium sums. This practice benefits unscrupulous officials at the expense of merit.
Form One Online Application Portal For 2026 Goes Live
The ministry has laid out a straightforward, yet unforgiving, procedure for applications. Parents are permitted to select up to a maximum of five different boarding schools for their child. A ministry official clarified the process, stating,
“The system treats all five choices equally; it is a list, not an order of preference.”
This means that an offer from any one of the five selected institutions will trigger an immediate and irreversible chain of events.
Upon a school’s decision to extend a place, parents will receive an official notification. The ministry’s notice explicitly warns,
“The instant your child is accepted by one school, all other applications are automatically cancelled.”
This automated cancellation is a pivotal feature of the system, designed to streamline placements but one that carries significant risk for families.
“Declining an Offer is a Final Decision,” Ministry Warns
In a stark alert to parents, the education authorities have emphasised that any decision to reject an offered place is absolute. The communiqué leaves no room for ambiguity, cautioning,
“Declining an offer is a final decision. It is a risk that may result in your child securing no boarding place at all.”
The ministry further stated that it will not be held responsible for placements lost due to parents declining offers, stressing that once a placement is forfeited, it is immediately offered to the next applicant in line and cannot be reclaimed.
To mitigate potential disappointment, the government has offered a final reassurance for every child’s educational future. The notice concluded,
“Government has enough Form 1 day-school vacancies for every pupil, so have alternative day-school arrangements in place.”
This safety net ensures that, despite intense competition for limited boarding spaces, no pupil will be left without a place in a secondary school. Parents are now urged to proceed with caution, applying only to schools they are genuinely prepared to accept.
THE online application platform (eMAP) for 2026 Form One boarding places has opened, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has announced.
It closes on December 31.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education added that it will not be responsible for placements lost due to declined offers, emphasising that Government has enough Form One day school vacancies for every learner to allow parents and guardians to have alternative day school arrangements in place.
