®Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs) returning home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, especially from West Asia, are finding it difficult to secure admission for their children to their preferred CBSE/ICSE schools.
The non-availability of seats to closure of admissions are among the reasons cited by school managements. Thanks to the spike in the number of Keralites returning home, the demand for school admissions is expected to soar in the coming days.
Satheesh (name changed), who had sent his wife and children home, said they had sought admission to Class 1 at a CBSE school here, but the management informed them that there were no vacancies for the new academic year.
Most parents prefer CBSE/ICSE schools as their children had been enrolled in schools under these boards abroad. Gokul (name changed), who lost his job in Dubai, said he had applied online for admission to a school in Thiruvananthapuram. “However, the authorities are yet to respond. They had also asked for the transfer certificate. But I would be able to present it later as classes for the current academic year are progressing online in Dubai,” he added.
Indira Rajan, secretary general of the Council of CBSE Schools Kerala, said a user-friendly single-window platform (www.ccskerala.org) had been opened to help NoRKs seeking admission for their wards to CBSE schools across the State. “Parents can log in to our portal and register details highlighting any three schools of their preference. The council will re-direct the request to the schools concerned for taking a decision based on the availability of seats and norms prescribed by the board,” she said.
T.P.M. Ibrahim Khan, president of the Kerala CBSE Schools Management Association, said managements had to give preference to children of Keralites returning from abroad owing to the crisis triggered by the pandemic. “The association has written to the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the board, seeking relaxations in norms for admitting such students to Class X. I have also requested the managements not to insist on embassy attestation and other formalities while admitting children in view of the current situation,” he added.
