Release nursery admission guidelines, Delhi government told

NEW DELHI - The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) Monday issued a notice to the Delhi government to release guidelines for nursery admissions without any further delay. It added that as per the Right to Education Act, neighbourhood should be the sole criterion to admit children.

A DCPCR official said: “Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports on the issue, the commission has written to Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta saying that it is high time that guidelines for nursery admissions be released”.

Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely had earlier said that the slight delay in formulating and releasing the guidelines for the nursery admissions was due to the enforcement of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act.

“The notice reminded the chief secretary of a consultation on nursery admissions guidelines held at the DCPCR office in June this year. The consultation, which had representatives of the directorate of education, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Kendriya Vidayala Sangathan and others, unanimously decided that neighbourhood should be the sole criterion for admissions,” the official said.

“It was also decided that no screening test should be conducted and capitation fee should attract defaulting of schools. The point system should also be scrapped,” the official added.