The school admission process, according to the Matriculation Board and CBSE, should start only in April and mid-February respectively. However, some schools have already started issuing admission forms, with late-night queues already noticeable in at least one prominent school.
A visit to four schools, and enquiries over the phone about L.K.G admissions revealed that some schools had issued admission forms.
While two CBSE schools in Gopalapuram and Mylapore had already finished issuing admission forms, another school in the same area said that the date would be announced in February. When this reporter enquired over the phone at a Matriculation school in Kilpauk, they said that they were currently issuing admission forms.
At another matriculation school in Ashok Nagar, authorities said that admission for L.K.G was over.
There are roughly over 18,000 seats in around 125 CBSE schools and over 48,000 seats in the 323 matriculation schools in the city at the entry-level, according to sources. But, as one principal put it, “The number of seats we have and number of applicants is unmatchable.” Hence, the scramble for seats intensifies at this time of the year. The admission process for entry-level is particularly competitive.
Fredrick Arun, a parent who is looking for a pre-K.G seat said that he had begun following admission dates and procedures of schools as early as October and is in touch with other parents seeking admissions in city schools. “It would really help if all schools commenced their admissions at the same time. We have zeroed in on five schools and are tracking when admission forms will be issued by them. Since I would want to relocate to near the school, the sooner the admission is confirmed, the easier,” he said.
An official from the Directorate of Matriculation Schools said that they had sent a circular to all matriculation schools to commence admissions only in April. “Even issuing admission forms is part of the admission process. We will ask the inspectors of matriculation schools to conduct surprise checks,” he said. He said that they had sent a show-cause notice to a matriculation school in Nungambakkam this week for not complying with the guideline.
A principal of a matriculation school in north Chennai said that though they would be following government guidelines in conducting admissions, it should ideally be conducted in February and March. “It will benefit both the parents and the school. Parents can plan ahead in case they want to shift closer to the school, and arrange for transport. We can also order for books well in time so that they are available at the beginning of the academic year,” she said.
