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Homeworks to do for the nursery test

By Ritika Chopra in New Delhi

SHWETA Tiwari is working hard to do her homework well. After all, this is the toughest test she has faced since becoming a parent.

For the past few days, the 32- yearold mother has been struggling to make a list of the schools she would apply to for the admission of her three- year- old son.

She is busy gathering every detail about all top schools in her neighbourhood and in other parts of the Capital as well. Like most parents, she wants to secure a seat for her tiny tot in a school of her choice.

“ I’ve scoured the Internet and the newspapers and taken help from parents who have done this all before,” Tiwari said. “ The admission process hasn’t even started and I feel exhausted already.” Thousands of parents are going through the same feeling of anxiety and are overwhelmed by the kind of research that goes into shortlisting the schools. Here are a few factors that you should keep in mind while selecting the schools:

DISTANCE

Schools in the neighbourhood should be your first preference. “ Children in Delhi are eligible for admission to nursery when they’re only three years old. Travelling long distances every day at this tender age is not advisable. So, the school should be as close to their home as possible,” Annie Koshy, principal of St Mary’s School at Safdarjung Enclave, said.

“ The farther the school, the earlier the child has to wake up. The kid will also be exposed to high levels of air and noise pollution for a longer time. Why would parents want to put their children through all this?” Koshy added.

Transportation is another important factor. Enquire about the school bus routes. It’s safer to send your children in a school bus than in a private van.

INFRASTRUCTURE

As getting admission in nursery is getting tougher every year, parents have to compromise on several factors. Infrastructure, however, is one thing they should not overlook.

Expecting each school to have state-ofthe- art infrastructure would be asking for too much, but parents should ensure that the schools they are applying to have all the necessary basic facilities.

“Parents should find out if the school has a decent playing field, adequate classrooms and also a nurse on call to handle medical emergencies. In many institutions, all this information is very easy to gather as parents are allowed to see the campus on designated days. In our school, they are invited to visit on the second and third Saturday every month,” Rekha Bakshi, head of the junior wing of Vasant Valley School, said.

TEACHER STRENGTH
Parents these days give a lot of importance to student- teacher ratio in a class. “ A child requires stronger input and attention from the teacher during the early years. If there are too many students in a classroom, it becomes impossible for the teacher to give individual attention. They may fail to notice behavioural changes or any other deficiencies in a child.

So, a healthy student- teacher ratio is very important,” Manju Bharat Ram, chairperson of the trust that runs The Shri Ram Schools, said.

HOMEWORK ISSUES

Enquire about a school’s policy and practices regarding homework before you decide to apply. The school authorities are, however, not the best source for such information.“ A school will never say it burdens students with homework.
The only way you can get the true picture is by interacting with parents who already have their children studying there.
Make phone calls. Online forums have also emerged as a popular platform for such discussions,” Sumit Vohra, author of Nursery Admissions — Tips and Suggestions , said.
“ In Delhi, most schools are affiliated to CBSE or CISCE. Parents should try to understand the differences in their curriculum and select the schools accordingly,” he added.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Parents can lodge a complaint with the Directorate of Education, Delhi government, if a school:

Interviews a child or subjects him/ her to any sort of screening

Is selling the admission forms on first- come first- serve basis

Sells an admission form for more than ` 25

Profiles applicants on the basis of their parents’ professional and/ or educational background

Does not put its admission criteria in the public domain

Does not admit children under the economically weaker section category