A website started by a harried parent is now a lifeline for others seeking nursery admissions for their wards in schools in Delhi
He managed the unthinkable right here in the Capital and rose from being an average ‘Delhiwalla' to a celebrity overnight.
In 2009, IT consultant Sumit Vohra, a South Delhi resident, managed to secure a nursery seat for his daughter in seven of the 11 schools he had applied to. His success run did not end here. He turned his experience into a book, and a website, helping hundreds of other parents who have to go through the trying process every year.
The trials and tribulations of the admission process in Delhi are now decoded on www.admissionsnursery.com. The website that deals with various issues relating to admissions to Delhi schools and provides regular updates, now has a membership of over 40,000 parents.
“My book titled 7/11 is the story about how we (my wife and I) struggled to get our daughter admitted to a good school in Delhi. The book is based on my experiences to equip parents with tricks and tips to win the ‘battle of nursery admissions' into a Delhi school,” says Mr. Vohra.
“Much like any other parent we too went through a lot of tension during my daughter's admission. We spend several sleepless nights surfing the Internet and looking for information on the schools we had applied to and see if other parents had uploaded anything on their experience. That is when we thought of documenting our journey to secure a seat for our daughter in the form of a book.”
The fact that there are very few seats in the nursery for the large number of people who apply makes the competition cut-throat and schools dictate the entire process, he says. “I remember that when one of the popular schools called us for an informal interaction and then went on to refuse the various residence proofs that we had brought along -- these included our voter identity card, electricity bills or my child's fee receipts from the play school. Yet another school in Vasant Vihar refused to accept my wife's M.Sc degree just because she was not carrying her B.Sc degree! In one of the schools the principal only wanted to see how we were dressed. These is no criteria on which a student should be selected for school and we wanted other parents to be ready and prepared when going in for their child's admission,” he said.
The website started by the couple is now a lifeline for parents applying for admission to various Delhi schools. It gives you updates, helps parents share their experience and helps you plan out a rough strategy to face the admission season. It also alerts parents about any mishandling in the admission process.
Keywords: nursery admission, Delhi schools
@ Mr.Bimba : I would like to correct you a little. Those 200 questions and answers you have mentioned are already online which had overwhelmed response in Delhi and NCR region. As you asked to live them a life a good education in a good school is needed. To keep the first step in a kids' education it benefitted many parents in getting admission in good schools.
Thanks Mr. Vohra, to start this noble platform for selflessly helping
needy parents & making this whole process more cooperative in nature,
looking at the tough times parents have to face admitting their children
into a good school in Delhi & NCR.
Wish you & the parents' community all the best.
-Warm Regards, Bij:)
Dear Mr Bimba: All the questions in biggest schools in NCR were asked from our question bank of 200 questions from last 3 years( if and only if you can give me your phone number)i can give you at least hundred of phone no of the parents from last 3 years you got there were ward through in various schools after answering these questions.. for example.. more than 35 question in a single school and all from our question bank(Biggest chain in NCR)were asked and parents were not aware of it in advance..the making of this question bank was sheer hard word /blood/sweat and even tears sometimes from last 3-4 years..I think you are right..what to do these only stupid questions being asked by schools :)
I would like that parents liked the questions and were aware that these questions would asked again ..did a brain stroming session and we have around more the 2-3 answers from different perspective for each question on the forum..which helped a lot to the other parents !!
Dear All
Thanks for your kind inspirational words and i concur with your
suggestions..I am planning to go to pan india level (as requested by
many parents from different cities earlier also)
My objective in life is "Education For All" that why i am running the
NGO also V R One- Education For All since 2009 and have filed RTI
against many schools and few children got admission also in some
schools.
Best
Sumit Vohra
Founder -www.AdmissionsNursery.com
Chairperson - V R One-Education For
This is a sad, sad article! We need a strong, public education system if we are to continue to build on the economic growth we have seen in recent years. Every child should have the right to go to a 'good' school, and that 'good' school should be in your own neighbourhood. We need an education system that breaks down socioeconomic differences, that encourages vernacular languages as much as English. I empathise with Mr. Vohra and appreciate that he has taken the time to share what he has learnt. People like him are victims of a pathetic system. But rather than list tips on how to work within a bad system, he should direct his energies towards ending this system. Where is our government? Its disinterest and hubris makes one wonder if it is but an extension of the British Raj?
A doctoral dissertation is obviously on the way. True, Mr.Vohra. My ward and I
interviewed all the candidates interviewed by an arbitrary farce of a committee on the
premises that they can have only a finite number of questions. They did not have
more and we had our way.
Parents who are in the rat race would surely appreciate your insights but as Early Childhood professional it is appalling to see that parents are curtailing their child's early learning to be a rigorous, result oriented rather than nurturing their exploration in a qualitative preschools where the child:adult ratio is very less and in a small group setting.
This reminds me of Prakash Raj & Mohan's 'Abhiyum Naanum" movie in which Prakash Raj humorously portrays the stresses and tensions usually undergone by parents in admitting their wards into KG schools. Remember the scene on the need to know the name of Napoleon's horse? After reading this article, it seems Prakash Raj only touched on the fringes of the problem!! Ridiculous if the schools demanded B.Sc degree certificate of the mother, when she holds a M.Sc. degree! Ultimately, the 'demand and supply' syndrome rules, and education is BIG BIG business.
It is really sad. How relevant is a dad or mom's education in getting admission for their child? While the website is helpful for folks who want to "go with the flow", it is pathetic for the ones who don't have the means or the access. Some modern society we live in!
There is a limit for every school, a lottery system with all the qualified applications should be fair. This a Certain case of supply not meeting demands, but ethics is lost inbetween. Atleast it is not heart breaking!!! you just lost a lottery. Again we need to understand, the most successful people in this world have not come from the best schools (Some not even completed school)...and all the kids from the best school are not successful. Talent should be nutured in the right way. I hope our kids will learn and do better than what we hope for them...
I think there should be educational reforms in India. Govt should maintain all the schools and abolish private or corporate education until 12th standard. There should be school district system like in US, where your children should get admission only in your area school. Schools has to give reply to parents why your child cannot be admitted. But for nursery and preK why should we struggle so much to get an admission? think differently.. change the system.. take responsibility.
Congrats for your effort,your service will continue as more.I will also do service like this in my future .This is some inspiration for people like me........
Sad state of affairs. It is pathetic to hear that schools are arbitrarily rejecting students and parents have to go to such an extent to secure education for children.
Dear Mr.Vohra & Parent Community:Congrats for being another parent making your child follow the so called "Society Norm" and making you child a "Machine". Being a individual in Gen X era you are so proud that your child has got 7 admits for "Nursery" com'on give me a break. And you release a book for the society who appreciate your effort. Please make effort in releasing dumb questions next time for kids. Title : " 200 Dumb questions for Kids to Get admit to Nursery "Sample Question: What come after Letter "C" ?
Options: A. G ,B. E , C. B, D. T I'm making a conscious effort to tell people that don't ruin you kids life. Leave them to live a life!!
This is hilarious . It feels as though everyone is overlooking one main entity in this episode :the child.Its thoroughly obnoxious for people to be a part of such a system and if anything the so called "parents community "must stage a demonstration or protest to highlight the state of affairs regarding admissions for primary children.Such overt acceptance of the situation and publishing books and websites to find a quick or better way across the system is absolutely ridiculous, to say the least .Honestly this article had me in splits and I was laughing my guts out .Such open acceptance is absurd and the parent community should look more to support their children and not subject them to such torture that they undergo through out the admission process .I wish the "Parent community "educates themselves first and not make weird celebrities out of such people .More over ,is getting 7 admits for a nursery kid a real achievement?seriously .. there is something terribly wrong here ...
Dearest Mr.Vohra: Congratulations! For being featured and appreciate your great efforts and work done. You remain a "Beacon of Hope" to the parent community of Admissionsnursery.com. We know you not only spent sleepless nights during your daughters admission process but during every admission process in Delhi and NCR thereafter. The portal founded by you is very parent friendly which gives all information and guidelines about schools in Delhi and NCR. It has a wide resources like information on admission process, schedules,application form details and formats, fee structure, Govt. rules and regulations,results of all schools at a single thread and above all which,why and how to choose a school,precaution measures to be taken along with emotional support.
If Govt just follow your reformative ideas and thoughts regarding nursery admissions, no doubt our quality of education will get a new uplift.
admissionsnursery.com is surely a blessing for the young parents who
toil to admit their wards in a school with all expected facilities. Wish
this initiative would be extended to all metropolitan cities.
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