No plan to cancel nursery admissions so far, says Manish Sisodia

“So far there is no plan to cancel admission this year... We are still discussing the timeline of the admission process. Everything has been delayed by two-three months this year due to the prevailing situation." said Manish Sisodia

Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia on Monday said that the government has, so far, no plans to cancel nursery admissions for the academic session 2021-22.

"The government does not want to rush the process of nursery admission. But there is no plan to cancel it,” Manish Sisodia said.

Delhi government’s education department officials had last month told HT that they were considering skipping admissions to entry-level classes -- nursery, KG, and first -- in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“So far there is no plan to cancel admission this year... We are still discussing the timeline of the admission process. Everything has been delayed by two-three months this year due to the prevailing situation. The government does not want to rush the process of nursery admission. But there is no plan to cancel it,” Sisodia said.

Every year, the process for admissions to entry-level classes begins between November and December, for over 2 lakh seats in around 1,700 private schools in Delhi. The government also carries out a separate admission process for students from economically disadvantaged families for the 25% reserved seats under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009.

Both principals of several private schools and parents said they were relieved after Sisodia’s statement. Alka Kapur, principal of Modern Public School in Shalimar Bagh, said, “We had expressed our concerns over it. A committee of principals and managements of several schools had met Mr Sisodia earlier this month to discuss the issue. We are really glad that the government has reconsidered its decision. It’s in the interest of students.”

Jyoti Arora, principal of Mount Abu Public School in Rohini, said, “The nursery admissions have already been delayed by more than a month. The government should immediately issue the admission notification so that schools can plan their academic session. We are receiving calls from parents every day.”

Anubhuti, the mother of a four-year-old, said she has already enrolled her daughter in a school in neighbouring Noida. “We have been waiting for the government to release the notification so that we can withdraw her admission from there and enrol her in a Delhi school. I am glad that the government has said that it’s not planning to cancel the admission process,” she said.

Delhi Parents Association also welcomed Sisodia’s statement. Aparjita Gautam, president of the association, said, “Parents have been waiting for the admission process to begin. There are many parents whose children could not get admission last year. The government should also issue a circular on the issue in order to bust the prevailing rumours.”