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Schools oppose nursery norms, may move court -Manash Pratim Gohain
-The Times of India


NEW DELHI: Delhi's private schools geared up to challenge the new guidelines for nursery admissions, with nearly every association holding meetings on Thursday in which they decided to first write to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung asking for changes and, if need be, take the issue to court.

Under the new norms, all discretionary powers, including a 20% management quota, have been taken away from schools, who now have to follow a common criterion for admissions which heavily favours students living within 6km from each school.

"If we don't get any relief , there will be no course left to us but to approach the high court for a stay order," said S K Bhattacharya, president of the Action Committee for Unaided Recognized Private Schools.

Another association, National Public Schools Conference, too met and decided that it "may look at a legal remedy", according to chairperson Ameeta Mulla Wattal.

The Catholic Schools Association met as well to discuss both the criteria as well as a new clause which requires minority schools that received land from government agencies to reserve 20% seats for the economically weak (EWS) and disadvantaged groups.

"We were already reserving 15% for EWS and are not under any compulsion from the government," say Fr Babu Varghese, principal, Don Bosco, "Some schools that got land were contractually bound to reserve seats but after RTE Act, that doesn't apply. We'll make a representation to the LG and following that, challenge it in court."

The Delhi Public School Society, said chairperson Ashok Chandra, has convened a meeting of principals on Saturday.

Private schools associations argue that drastic changes to the admission process have been made without any input from them. "We tried to meet the LG," says Bhattacharya, "We sent a representation yesterday and the day before but he didn't call us. The main stakeholders - the schools - have not been consulted."

The order "is one-sided and bad in law," he added.

"The Delhi Schools Education Advisory Board, set up under the Delhi School Education Act and Rules 1973, hasn't been consulted and neither have the minutes of the board's October 3 meeting taken into cognizance," said Wattal.

Bhattacharya argued that the new guidelines ignored a 2002 Supreme Court judgment that says private institutions not receiving any financial grant from the government must be allowed a certain amount of freedom in the matter of admission and fees. "The school should work within the framework of the constitution and the DSEAR. The points system, which was working well till now, was based on an order of the high court which, in turn, was based on the Ganguly Committee recommendations. Why withdraw our autonomy?" he asked.

R C Jain, president of Delhi State Public Schools Management Association said the guidelines were not in the interest of students. "There are only about 200 schools that parents fight over. But the guidelines apply to all schools in all areas and will, therefore, work against the majority of students," he said.

"When we made the schools, the government didn't help. We were helped by others whom we have to oblige. How will we do that? Even government employees enjoy benefits from their respective departments," Jain added.

As the news sinks in, many parents are finding the new nursery admission rules not quite suiting them, primarily because of the 'neighbourhood' criterion. They're finding both the allotment of 70 points and the definition of neighbourhood - areas within 6 km of the school - problematic.

For parents staying in areas with fewer "good" private schools, the options are few, and existing institutions will also have to cater to a much larger number of applicants. Another section of parents is unhappy about the points allocated to the 'sibling' and 'alumni' categories - 20 and five, respectively.

Parents argue that in a city like Delhi, 6km is too little. "I am disappointed and worried. I stay in Naraina Vihar where I have only two options. Springdales, Kirti Nagar, is one but they are already catering to Ramesh Nagar, Kirti Nagar, Mansarovar Garden...even Rajouri Garden and Naraina Vihar. The Delhi Cantonment schools are a good 10km away," says a hassled mother. She had been counting on points for a first child but that criterion no longer exists. The 20 points allowed to siblings of kids already enrolled in the schools will not help those living beyond 6km as the neighbourhood factor is far weightier .

Most parents would have accepted a more graded system of assigning points instead of a fixed 70 points for children living within 6km. They feel in a sprawling city like Delhi, it doesn't make sense to have 6km as the limit. Also, as another parent pointed out, the guidelines which are stringent in all other respects, allow the school to decide whether the 6 km will be identified on the basis of "aerial or road distance". The choice of "road distance" will further shrink the area covered.

"I already drive 11km to drop my kid to playschool and have no problem doing it. If parents are willing to take charge of dropping and picking up their kids, the government should not interfere," says a parent.

Added to it is the 5% quota for girls that is troubling some of the parents who have a single boy child. Pankaj Mishra, a resident of Mayur Vihar Phase II, says, "In my phase there is just one school. Within 6km there are just five but it's a densely populated area. My child is not eligible for admission to schools beyond this area but he won't get alumni or sibling points either. Added to it is the 5% quota for girls."

However, most parents are pleased with the abolishing of the management quota and feel it has improved their chances of getting a seat. "I stay in a neighbourhood where there are 'good' schools and I'm likely to get 70 points. My child is a girl and, therefore, eligible for the 5% quota. Although there is no guarantee, chances are definitely better this year as even the management seats are now in the open category," said Dr Arnab Dasgupta of Max Super Speciality, Saket.

Kusum Sachdeva, a Moti Nagar resident, however, is pleased with the changes. "We have several schools within the 6km radius and we are getting the 70 points. But we are also a bit wary as the schools may resist," she says.

(Names of some parents who wished to remain anonymous have been withheld)