Kicked the butt? If not, your child may lose five points in his nursery admission score in certain schools. In case you don't smoke or drink and are feeling smug about it, you may still lose five points for enjoying chicken.

One of the Delhi-NCR schools has come up with a moral code for parents looking to educate their three-year-olds.

Mahavir Senior Model School on GT-Karnal Road, a school run by a Jain organisation, will give parents of a nursery applicant five points if they are vegetarian, five points for being a non-smoker and five points for being a teetotaller.

Experts, however, don't buy nursery admissions criteria based on a family's lifestyle, or the parents' income, profession or qualification. Penalising or rewarding a child for his parent's habits, good or bad, is plain unfair, they say.

"Smoking, alcohol consumption has become the norm for socialising these days, but many families face issues with alcoholism, and this can affect the child's behaviour. I am a vegetarian, if Jain schools are trying to promote ahimsa, it is good," said Jyoti Jain, the mother of a nursery school student.

Mahavir Senior Model School principal SL Jain, however, felt that his school's admission criteria were a message to shun 'social evils'.

"A message is sent that these habits are social evils and should be shunned. Those children who come from Jain families that follow the core values will get priority. However, we also end up admitting those who don't adhere to these norms," Jain told Mail Today.

Faith Academy in Prasad Nagar had decided to offer extra 10 points on "compassionate grounds" to children of single mothers or single fathers.

Experts, however, don't buy nursery admissions criteria based on a family's lifestyle, income, profession or qualification.

Penalising or rewarding a child for parent's habits is unfair, they say. Even the Delhi HC felt that the "non-smoker" criterion was unjust as a child cannot be punished for a parent's habit. This was among the 62 similar arbitrary criteria propped up by the schools like teetotalism and vegetarian diet that the court struck down in its January 6, 2016 order.

"If some schools want to vet applications on the grounds of eating and drinking habits of parents, they are committing contempt of court and considering themselves above the law of the country," said Sumit Vohra, who runs NurseryAdmissions. com, a portal where more than 1.25 lakh parents are registered to share their admission woes and queries.

Confusion continues to loom large over 'Aadhar card-less' parents, who have been frantically trying to get themselves registered, as several schools have included it in their list of documents to be submitted. This is despite the fact that the Delhi Directorate of Education admission guidelines make no mention of it.

"It is hampering my child's admission process, and I am not yet sure if we will get admission. I am trying very hard to get my Aadhar Card done." said Sneha, a parent who is facing problems in getting her address rectified on her Aadhar card.