TIMES OF INDIA
New Delhi: With the last date for the application process approaching, complaints are piling up — there are over 200 on the Directorate of Education website alone.
“Aadharshila in Gujranwalan Town hasn’t posted any admission criteria. When we enquired about them, the teachers said they are admiting on first-come-first-serve basis. But they are selling way more forms than the available seats. The form of Lancer’s Convent says in case of a tie, they will admit whoever came to them first. But in these cases there will be lots of ties,” says one parent.
Another parent is confused by Mirambika’s system which awards 10 points for an “understanding and accepting Three Principles of true teaching and Integral Education.” Parents and activists are crying “screening” which is not permitted under the Right to Education Act. Mirambika, a “free progress” school, also expects parents of toddlers to decide now what they want their kids to do at grade 10. “Acceptance of NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) at Class X for [the] child” fetches 10 points. “How can any parent possibly come to a decision on this more than a decade in advance?” asks Sumit Vohra who runs admissionsnursery.com.
There are other schools that have parents protesting — one school requires profession, department and even designation of the parent; another is making it compulsory for parents to opt for school transport — and for four years.
Mother’s International will allow only those students who live on its bus routes. Then there are “unreasonable” demands with respect to documents. “Birla Vidya Niketan is asking for the “discharge summary” from the hospital in which the child was born stating that the child is a firstborn,” says parent Keshav Agarwal. He also wants to know what the schools plan to do with all the paperwork they are collecting. “It is a lot of information they are asking for. I don’t know how they are planning to dispose of paperwork they don’t need, the rejected applications,” he says. There are also complaints of screening — prohibited by RTE. One parent has written on admissionsnursery.com that she was asked to take her child to Mira Model School (Janakpuri).
There are a large number of complaints from parents against schools for over-charging for processing the form or forcing parents to buy prospectuses. One parent was told by a receptionist she had instructions from the “management” to not sell forms without the prospectus. Schools can’t charge over Rs 25 for a form; neither can they force parents to buy the prospectus.

Vohra has lodged complaints against 50 schools to the Directorate of Education.

Nursery point system set for rehaul on new directive
Manash Pratim Gohain TNN

Nursery point system set for rehaul on new directive
Manash Pratim Gohain TNN

New Delhi: Parents on the hunt for nursery seats will no longer have to grapple with ambiguous parameters such as “noble cause” or those linked to their financial and educational status while negotiating the points system. Heeding complaints on the ongoing admissions, the directorate of education (DoE) has issued a seven-point directive to private, unaided schools in the
capital, warning that any violation “will be viewed seriously and strict action against school management will be taken”.
    The directives, issued late Saturday night, are likely to put many schools in a spot as they will not only have to revise their admission criteria — which includes overhauling the point system — but also the eligibility conditions.
    The DoE reiterated that it had only “defined the minimum age for admission” and the issue of uniform upper age limit was under deliberation. One school had dropped the age ceiling after a parent took it to court. Other schools said they would reconsider the issue only if the DoE cleared the air.

Orders factor in plea by activists
Issuing point-wise clarifications against grievances cited by parents, the DoE said schools could not force parents to buy the prospectus or charge processing fee, except the Rs 25 admission registration fee.
    The directives also took cognizance of a complaint by activists, including the Social Jurist lawyers, that “schools are following separate admission process for their main school and montessori/ preschool”. The DoE said schools would “have to follow single admission process for their preschool and main school considering them as one institution.”
    The DoE also said schools should not go by “unreasonable parameters” such as “noble cause” and “representative affirmative action” as they were not well defined. The number of seats at entry level “shall not be less than the highest number of seats in the entry class during the previous three years”.
    There were complaints against some schools that were refusing forms of EWS category applicants as they lived more than a kilometre away from the school. For such complainants, a circular clarified that no school could refuse to accept forms from all applicants under EWS and disadvantaged group, “irrespective of distance of residence from schools”.
    Some issues, however, remain. With just two days —Monday and Tuesday — left for the registration process, activists are hoping that the period will be extended.
CLEARING DOUBTS
DoE’s clarification on nursery admission in recognized unaided schools
    Buying of prospectus along with application form is not mandatory. Only 25 can be charged as admission registration fee
    Schools have to follow single-admission process for their pre-school and main school, considering these as one institution
    Minimum age for preschool admission is 3 years by March 31 of that year. Issue of uniform upper age limit is being discussed by the government
    Schools should not include parameters which are based on financial or educational status of parents
    Schools should not include
ambiguous parameters
    Number of seats at entry level will not be less than the highest number of seats in the entry class during the previous three years
    Schools will ensure that the registration form in the prescribed proforma are made available free of cost to all applicants under the EWS and disadvantaged group
    Ration card, domicile certificate of child or of parents, Aadhaar card in the name of any parent, voter I-card, electricity/MTNL telephone/water bills, and passport in the name of any of the parents or child will be considered as proof of residence of parents/child