nursery admissions 2017 Updated: Jan 20, 2017 23:12 IST

HT Correspondent

The Delhi High Court on Friday stayed the government’s nursery admission notification that made it mandatory for private unaided minority schools to admit students in the unreserved category on the basis of neighbourhood criteria.

Private unaided minority schools have welcomed the Delhi High Court’s decision that allows them to omit government’s nursery admission guidelines, but parents say the ever changing norms confuse them.

The Delhi High Court on Friday stayed the government’s nursery admission notification that made it mandatory for private unaided minority schools to admit students in the unreserved category on the basis of neighbourhood criteria.

“We welcome the order. Minority schools have always had autonomy but these facts were overlooked by the government. The government’s criteria on nursery admissions unnecessarily cost us money, time and effort,” said Michael Williams, dean of Mount Caramel schools.

Some parents have filled forms for a few of these schools, and are now wondering if they have to fill new forms.

“I have applied to some minority schools and now I am confused. Will I have to fill forms again if schools decide to form their own guidelines? The government brings changes at the last moment, and then schools go to the courts, causing problems for parents,” said Model Town resident Sakshi Tomar.

Another parent Shantadru Santral said, “There are 5-6 minority schools around my house, and I have applied to them all. But now these schools will decide their own criteria, so I am confused if they will have an upper age limit or not because the government’s notification says there should be no upper age limit.”

Read: Parents must learn about nursery admission criteria before applying, say experts

Three private unaided minority schools – Mount Carmel School, Ryan International School and Somerville School – had moved the court contending that the circular infringed on their rights to admit students.

“People who suffer the most are parents who could not get admission last year and were only targeting a few schools within a kilometre, which were under DDA land. After the HC order, they are neither sure of getting selected by new criteria and nor by upper age cap,” said Sumit Vohra of admissionsnursery.com.

Sisodia lashes out

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia lashed out at private unaided schools, saying schools which “make money by selling seats” should rather sell “jalebis” if they want to make profit.

Private unaided schools and minority schools have approached the courts against government’s nursery guidelines.

“In the nursery admission case, some private schools are giving such reasoning which clearly shows that their business of selling seats is failing. Who doesn’t know that some of the private schools built on DDA sell each nursery seat for Rs 10-15 lakh,” he said in a series of tweets.