Nursery hurdle: Seniors pass on tips TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: You don’t recover from the nursery admission experience quickly and parents who successfully admitted their kids last year are now “seniors”, extending a helping hand to the “juniors”, gearing up for the process this year. Advice is being offered and accepted on the nature of documents to keep ready, the number of schools to apply and feedback is being gathered on how the schools perform later.

    “Last year, I had help from seniors,” says Sreeju Krishnan, a software engineer who admitted his daughter last year and is now helping his friend’s daughter get admission. “I have told my friend to apply to at least 10-15 schools. I’m also collecting information on the criteria for points. A few schools that I’ve approached are selling forms but there are no instructions to go with them,” he says.

    Vaishali Batra is more concerned about the timing of the admission process. “I have to go to Mumbai, as a family member has to undergo operation,” says Batra. As she waits for further information, she gets her documents ready. “I don’t plan to apply to more than 10 schools.”

    There are a large number of documents that the parents need to produce before the schools. Several schools demand that the name of the child be printed on the birth certificate and it can take anywhere between two and three weeks to get such a certificate from the municipal corporations.

    “My first concern was the birth certificate,” says Surina Singhal, a doctor seeking admission for her daughter, “Then I got my school-level certificates out for the alumni points. I’m really banking on them.” Based in Dashrathpuri, she feels she will “lose distance points everywhere”. She is also gathering feedback on how schools fare third-grade onwards. “At nursery level, most schools are excellent but parents start getting dissatisfied by third onwards.”

Sumit Vohra, founder, admissionsnursery.com has been holding talks to help out parents. “Parents ask me if they should dress formally or informally for document verification and informal interactions with schools. Parents who are not very fluent in English ask if they can speak in Hindi, how they can get their kids into ‘branded’ schools and whether their qualifications will help them after RTE implementation,” he says.

WHAT TO KEEP HANDY

General category

One may need to produce some or all of these for nursery admission, depending on the school

ORIGINAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE issued by corporation or equivalent authority. Some schools ask for certificates with the child’s name. It may take 2-3 weeks

PROOF OF RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS (Photo ID proof/ passport/Aadhaar card/ latest, paid electricity or MTNL bill/court-registered, at least 6-month-old rental lease deed. Few schools ask for more than one proof

BAPTISM CERTIFICATE  (and a letter from the priest)

  Affidavit in case of single parents, first-born child, girl child

  In case of sibling applicants, the school identity card of the sibling

  In case of children with special needs, certificate of disability issued by competent authority

    Affidavit for intercommunity/inter-caste marriage, in case schools give points for this

    For transfer cases, proof of transfer to Delhi — transfer order; joining report, stating date of transfer and joining

    Passport-size photographs of the child as well as the parents (few schools even ask for recent family photo)

 Immunization chart of the child; medical certificate

 Alumni cases — Class 12-pass certificate (  schools might accept 10th class passing certificatebut very few -School Specific)

EWS category

For economically weaker section — income certificate issued by revenue officer not below the rank of tehsildar/BPL ration card (yellow-coloured)/AAY ration card (pink-coloured)

DISADVANTAGED GROUP

    OBCs with annual income of Rs 4.5L or less are eligible; no bar for Group C employees

    OBCs (non-creamy layer), SCs, STs, orphans and physically disabled have to submit a certificate issued by a revenue officer not below the rank of tehsildar or any other authority in the name of child or parents; orphans need certificate from department of women and child development, Delhi govt

    Residence proof — ration card issued in the name of parents (mother/father having the name of the child), domicile certificate of child or parents/ voter ID card of any of the parents/electricity or MTNL or water bill/passport in the name of any of the parents or child

    Proof of 3-yr stay in Delhi

    Vaccination card