Ever since the nursery admission guidelines were released last month, schools have been busy flouting most of them. The guidelines, hailed as being too water-tight for school managements to manipulate, are in fact being openly defied by some. Certain schools have also invited action from the Directorate of Education, even before the formal process of admissions can begin.
According to the guidelines, admissions are to be processed based on the 100-point system. Out of this, 70 points are to go to children living within an eight km radius from the school.
“One school has set its own criteria, like a child living within eight km gets 50 points and a child living within 10 km to 12 km will get 30 points. This school brazenly published all these illegalities on its website and we complained to the Directorate of Education. It was forced to fall in line and now it has published requirements that are in keeping with the guidelines,” said Sumit Vohra of admissionsnursery.com.
He added that he was keeping a hawkish eye on many schools and is already responsible for making three written complaints to the Directorate of Education.
Another strange trend is that most schools flouting these guidelines charge money from the lower limit of Rs.3,500 to the upper limit of Rs.15,000 per month.
Instances of schools measuring neighbourhood based on “bus routes” have also come to light. The guidelines specify that neighbourhood can be measured only through aerial or road routes. Also in open defiance is the “upper age limit” being prescribed by many schools, when the entry point of admission can have no upper age limit according to the regulations issued by the Directorate of Education.
The other criteria for admissions is “sibling studying in school,” which has 20 points; parent alumni of school has five points and inter-State transfer cases the remaining five points. Any seats remaining vacant will have to be allotted by the draw of lots.
These have also seen open defiance already. “One school changed inter-State into inter-school and said children who come from their own branch schools in other parts of the city are entitled to the points. I complained to the Directorate of Education and they took action,” said Mr. Vohra, adding that last year he had come upon a peculiar case where one school had awarded points to a “parent’s job being transferable.”
Alumni points are also being manipulated with some schools maintaining that a parent studying in any of their schools for even one year entitled a child to points, and some schools specifying some years. “All this is done to indirectly screen children and find out if the parents have money. Strictly speaking, only a child whose parents passed out from a particular school can get alumni points,” he said, adding that these procedures were ridiculous since some schools have several branches all over the country.
