Parents of general category kids for nursery admissions a harassed lot

Updated on: Friday, January 06, 2012

The parents of children applying for nursery admission in various Delhi school under the general category claim that they are the “new minority”.

“We don't understand the kind of discrimination that is being allowed by the Delhi Education Department where seats under the general category to popular schools are so few that we have now become the new minority. There is reservation for economically weaker section, management seats, staff seats, seats for alumini/sibiling, first born and proximity from school, where does an average general category candidate fit in,” said Suresh Rawat, a resident of Rohini.

“The Government is going all out to help those from the economically weaker section, but why does it not improve the standard of the education provided at government schools which would very effectively take the stress off the few popular schools that sees this kind of mad rush each year in Delhi,” said Gigi Jose from Mayur Vihar who is seeking admission for her four-year-old daughter this year after failing to secure admission in any of the popular schools last year.

“By bringing in so many reservations what the Delhi Education Department is doing is to encourage the general category candidate to try to secure admission by any means. The schools can't be blamed for denying seats to the general category section because of the sheer number of people who apply here, but the Delhi Government should definitely wake up to the miserable condition and standard of its schools which is actually causing this problem ,” said Sneh Lata, a resident of Gole Market.

“We applied to 17 schools last year but because the general category seats are so few we did not figure anywhere, doesn't my child have the right to education which is same as a child from the economically weaker section,” questioned Ms. Lata.

Meanwhile, a senior official in the Delhi Education Department said: “This is the first time that we have introduced a common admission form for the economically weaker section to make sure that they don't have any problem seeking admission to the popular schools in the city. The schools have also been directed to send us a seat availability or vacancy report by March 31 in the economically weaker section category to ensure that the seats that are left behind don't go waste and that students get admitted against these seats.”

Sumit Vohra, who runs a popular website aiding parents seeking admission to nursery, said: “Parents applying in the general category are the most stressed out because despite applying in 20-30 schools they are not sure if they will get in anywhere. The Delhi Government has to wake up to the ground reality and instead of adding more reservation should try and improve the condition of the government-run schools.”

Parents of general category kids for nursery admissions a harassed lot

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