Nursery admissions: Schools make parents dance to their tunes

NEW DELHI - The nursery admission process in Delhi schools is proving to be confusing and chaotic for some parents, who have blamed a few institutions of ignoring the government’s suggestions and making them dance to their tunes.

Like in the previous academic session, children seeking admission to nursery for the 2011-12 session would be rated under a points system decided by each school.

Under the points system, students would be selected on the basis of points scored by them and their parents. They would be awarded points for various parameters decided by the school, including proximity of their home to the school and siblings studying in the institution.

Some schools are giving importance to the educational background of children and also awarding extra points to admission seekers from minority communities and other states.

Here’s a look at features of points systems adopted by some schools:

Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram: The south Delhi school has outlined neighbourhood as the main priority in its points system. It managed to impress some parents with some unique parameters for the system including weightage for girls and children of athletes who participated in the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games and the Olympics.

The other parameters for the point system include siblings in school, alumni parents and children with minimum special needs.

Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan: The non-minority institution in south Delhi stumped many parents when it announced 10 extra points for applicants from minority communities. The school, which is giving priority to children from other states, has decided to give maximum points to applicants whose siblings are already studying in the institution.

Principal Ameeta Wattal said: We wanted the school to embrace a diverse mix of children from different communities, religions, regions and linguistic groups.

Laxman Public School, Hauz Khas: Keeping it simple, the south Delhi school has dedicated 50 points (out of a total of 100) to the neighbourhood criteria - giving preference to children living close to the institution. Siblings, children who are their parent’s first child and children of single parent are also getting priority.

Salwan Public School, Rajinder Nagar: To the surprise of many parents, the school in central Delhi has mentioned in its guidelines that it would give extra points to children of students whose parents studied in Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) or Indian Institute of Management (IIM). Doctors and parents with scientific background or with a national or state award would also get extra points.

Some parents alleged this was against the directorate of education guidelines that prohibited schools from giving weightage to parents’ educational background.

“I don’t know how a degree from IIT, IIM or my being a doctor will help my child in nursery admission,” said Mini Srinivasan, an anxious mother who had come to buy the admission form at the school in Rajinder Nagar.

“It is even mentioned in the points system that if a parent has any ’special achievement’ such as national or state award to his or her credit (they would get higher points),” she said, adding that parents had no option but to follow the schools’ guidelines.

The sale of nursery admission forms will continue till Jan 15, while the final admission list is expected to be out Feb 1.