Make EWS admissions in Delhi schools hassle-free: Atishi

A joint committee of the education department and Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) will now monitor the entire admission process as part of the four-point plan.

The Directorate of Education (DoE) on Tuesday chalked out a four-point action plan for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) following a high-level meeting with education minister Atishi, who directed that the process of admission be made hassle-free.

Delhi education minister Atishi directed officials to ensure private schools do not act arbitrarily, and asked all nodal officers to ensure on-the-spot redressal of complaints regarding EWS admissions. (AAP twitter)

A joint committee of the education department and Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) will now monitor the entire admission process as part of the four-point plan, nodal officers will be appointed in each district to receive and resolve complaints, the education department will send parents regular text messages with updates and information related to admissions, as well as track the admissions process weekly, officials said.

According to officials, Atishi directed them during the meeting to ensure private schools do not act arbitrarily, and asked all nodal officers to ensure on-the-spot redressal of complaints regarding EWS admissions.

“Schools showing any kind of indifference in admitting selected children will not be tolerated and serious action will be taken against them,” she said, adding the government had a transparent selection process for EWS admissions.

For this academic session, applications for EWS quota have been invited for nursery, KG and Class 1 (entry-level admission) in 2,001 private schools affiliated to the education department and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). The education department has received 209,753 applications for 37,187 seats and shortlisted candidates through a computerised draw of lots, officials said.

The shortlisted candidates will soon be allotted schools based on their choice. Parents can then go to these schools and get their documents verified, and then enrol their children.

Officials said last year, when some parents reached the school, they were allegedly harassed and denied admission by the schools.

The education department had therefore already been working on a blueprint for EWS admissions, which was subsequently presented and approved in the meeting. “To avoid a repeat of such cases, this four-point plan has been chalked out,” an official said.