NEW DELHI: Despite bracing themselves for weeks, parents were stumped by the knotty processes of nursery admissions. What does "first-come-first-served basis" mean if the school will shortlist? Why do schools want to know what the grandparents do? Why do they have to fill giant forms while registering and then again before interaction? As admissions for nursery open and shut in the NCR, parents only wish they knew what the schools want — from the kids, from them and their own parents.

Amity Noida wanted to know the parents' aspirations if both parents are working and what they plan to do if their child wants to stay up late to watch cartoons. "I filled a substantial form while registering online and thought it was over. When I went to submit the form, I had to fill another four pages," says Rupinder. "Parents are already hassled and you get about 10 minutes to fill the second form," she continues, "And they want to know what qualifications the grandparents have." The grandparents came up even in the "one-minute interview" she sat through.

Amity authorities say they just want to be sure the child has competent help at hand while doing homework. "Now, most parents are working and kids spend more time with their grandparents. We want to know the background, whether there will be anyone to assist children," says Savita Mehta of Amity Group.

Rupinder, who has already applied at four schools, will apply at five more. Adding to the confusion is the lack of consistency in the selection process. "It's the same problem every year for NCR schools — different dates, different procedures and different age criteria," says Shelja Sachdeva. "The form at Ryan International demanded basic information but before the interaction we had to answer 20-25 questions — our qualifications, what we can do for the school, things like that," says Sachdeva.

"I was among the first five to submit the form and have also gone for the interview. Scottish High (Gurgaon) had said admission is on a first-come-first-served basis. Now they are saying they are 'shortlisting'," says Shivani Arora.

Sumit Vohra of admissionsnursery.com says, "This is a violation of RTE. They cannot screen candidates." Schools prefer the term "interaction". Schools like Bal Bharati Public School and Delhi Public School in Noida, ask for qualifications of parents, where they studied, their profession and designation.

(Names of some people have been changed)