Nursery Admissions in Delhi NCR 2025-26

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On why "neighbourhood" should be the only criterion in school admissions

1. Distance from the school is the only criterion that affects a child physically. No other criterion affects the child physically. Criteria like siblings, transferable jobs, awardee parents, single parent and so on are just discriminatory.

2. If more children are sent to neighbourhood schools, all neighbourhood schools would have a chance to develop.

3. Eventually, people would become "proximity" conscious than "brand" conscious.

4. Siblings would stand a greater chance of getting into the same school as they will also qualify for the neighbourhood points like their siblings. 

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Permalink Reply by Akshat on February 1, 2013 at 7:40pm

Many on this forum have advanced this interesting but silly logic that govt has no say in the admission policies of unaided schools because these schools get no govt aid. While they may be called unaided schools for the purpose of description, the reality is that these 'unaided' schools have received land at concessional rates from the govt, not to mention that these schools also get tax and other concessions year after year.

Permalink Reply by Umesh on February 1, 2013 at 8:11pm

Exactly Akshat. Very good point.

Permalink Reply by Manmeet Taneja on February 1, 2013 at 8:53pm
When is the high court decision expected......
Permalink Reply by Akshat on February 1, 2013 at 9:30pm

Some sort of verdict will come soon, whether interim or final. The court has already said its verdict will apply to this year's admissions

SandeepPermalink Reply by Sandeep on February 2, 2013 at 10:12am
Dear Akshat, thanks for terming some of our logic as silly. FYI very often govt grants concessional land to Pvt bodies to set up businesses etc as well so that they come in and creTe economic activity, jobs etc. This is because while the govt has land it DOES NOT have the ability to put up and run world class businesses and or factories. The same is extended in the education sector. Govt provides concessional land to trusts and societies to come up and set up not for profit educational bodies. In the own words of erstwhile minister Kapil Sibal the govt is ok with some profit being made by such bodies as long it all of it is put back in the same activity. NOWHERE does the govt grant concessional land to for profit educational bodies.
However like a business has autonomy in terms of whom to employ where to sell at what price and what to produce similar should be the case for educational bodies as long as they work within the framework prescribed to them.
what is critical is to create framework which is binding and fair at the same time it should be over regulated and so restrictive that it becomes a detterent for future Pvt bodies to come in and put in more money to create new institutions.
While the govt or legal bodies can frame fancy fair criteria (logical or not), we all realize that it is completely BEYOND the govt sector to create schools where your and my children can study.
Permalink Reply by Umesh on February 2, 2013 at 12:20pm

There is very little that can be said to a guy who equates kids with employees. You are supporting elitism probably because you have hit a sweet spot for your child with regard to points criteria and retaining that sweet spot, that unfair advantage is all that you care about. 

SandeepPermalink Reply by Sandeep on February 2, 2013 at 1:12pm
Umesh I am NOT equating kids to employees I am drawing parallels between everyday situations where there is a scarcity of precious resources be it seats in schools, beds in hospitals or badly needed jobs. People encounter these at different levels and for all of them it is critical that they get accessmto these resources...for you it would be your child getting a chance to get I to a school, for your mpdriver the chance that he gets treatment from a govt hospital, for an unemployed worker that he get that job so he can feed his family. In each of these situations the problem is SCARCITY OF RESOURCES. We CANNOT term this UNFAIR ADVANTAGE FOR FEW. The right way to tackle this is CREATE MORE RESOURCES AND NOT START DOING LUCKY DRAWS TO DISTRIBUTE THESE RESOURCES.
SandeepPermalink Reply by Sandeep on February 2, 2013 at 1:18pm
Just want to add that a lucky draw for allotting DDA flats might seem appropriate but if I am trying to get my child into a school then I would fight tooth and nail to oppose this no matter how 'elitist' you might term the existing system
Permalink Reply by Umesh on February 2, 2013 at 1:31pm

@Sandeep. The crux of the argument is that the other person should also be allowed to fight tooth and nail to get their children to a particular school.

Provide a level ground for everyone to play. Remove the points system. Keep physical comfort of the child in mind. And that's all. 

Fight tooth and nail to make sure teachers teach your child well no matter what school your child is in.

Permalink Reply by Akshat on February 2, 2013 at 5:36pm

Yes, level playing field is where the govt comes in. It is the govt's duty to ensure public good and provision of a fair chance to all. That is why you have regulatory bodies for different sectors -- UGC, CBSE, ICSE etc for education, TRAI for telecom companies, RBI for banks and so on. Just to expand on what I mentioned earlier -- Do banks take any aid from govt? No. That means they are 'unaided' . Right? Then why should they be regulated, especially when they never take land on concessional rates or even tax benefits? The answer is somewhere down the line public good is involved. Why should the points system be scrapped, retaining only the neighbourhood criteria? The answer again is public good and, in particular, child welfare.  

Permalink Reply by Umesh on February 2, 2013 at 2:01pm

So basically what you are saying is that someone from Janakpuri should be allowed to apply to a school in Mayur Vihar - I even if 

1. It's taxing on the child physically

2. The school doesn't even have transport to that area

Is this what you are saying?

Let me go all theory on you. We both know how relevant this can be in India, but let me try. The child is not your property. You are attached to the child emotionally and legally. The child is human. And the state is supposed to ensure that the child's human rights are not violated. So if a mother thinks that its okay to beat her child up with a cane to discipline the child, then the state should intervene. If a husband beats his wife up, then the State should intervene to save the wife. It can. Check out the Domestic Violence act. 

Let's discuss the point about discrimination raised by you. By giving a little preference to the neighbourhood kids doesn't mean that kids from distances cannot apply. They can and they will also have an equal opportunity. So it basically ends discrimination of all kinds. But I don't understand why people are not able to wrap their heads around it.

Permalink Reply by Umesh on February 2, 2013 at 2:43pm

@Stuti

What's your probability of getting into a distant school right now? Let's assume you were applying for a first child.

I think its even lesser than what you'd have should distant schools removed all criteria and just kept neighbourhood. I dont see what are you are complaining about. 

Distance should have a bearing. Even students from neighbourhood have to go through a draw of lots because only a fixed number would be allocated for them. 

We are trying to balance children's comfort with equal opportunity for distant kids. It's very fair and BETTER than the current system. 

Also, I wasn't seeking a comment from you on the Domestic Violence act. I provided that to you as an example of how state can intervene in relationships in which human rights are violated. 

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