Gurugram: Parents wait for school admission under EWS category

As private school authorities are preparing to start the new academic session from April, parents are seeking admission under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category

As private school authorities are preparing to start the new academic session from April, parents are seeking admission under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category. They are also worried about the lack of clarity regarding the admission schedule.

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Prospective applicants said, due to the coronavirus crisis, they could not secure admissions under the EWS category last year and are worried about missing out the chance this year too.

The EWS students in classes 2-12 can take admission in private schools, under Section 134A of the Haryana School Education Rules (HSER), 2003. As a part of the admission process, applicants are required to fill up a form and sit for an assessment examination, followed by draw lots.

The education department starts the admission process every year between February and March. The admission process could not be completed in 2020 due to a sudden coronavirus-induced lockdown.

Vikas Kumar, a parent, had filled the forms for admission in March 2020, but was left in the lurch by the lockdown. Kumar said he was keeping a track of the admission portal this year, but there was no information about the process that usually starts in March. “It seems the admission portal has not been updated yet. It’s displaying information about last year’s admission cycle. We are not sure if the process will start this year, since it was called off in 2020, and there was no subsequent communication from the government about it,” said Kumar, who is hoping to secure his daughter’s admission this year.

Another parent, Rakesh Kumar, whose daughter is studying in a private school under the EWS category, said his acquaintances have been enquiring about the admission cycle this year. “The department had initiated the admission process last year but couldn’t complete it. The admission notification for the new session is yet to be issued. Many parents, who are waiting for the admission cycle to start, are mired in troubles. The government should issue directions at the earliest, so that parents can plan accordingly,” said Kumar.

Officials from the education department, however, said that the academic schedule had been affected due to the coronavirus outbreak, and the timeline of admissions was bound to change.

Premlata Yadav, district elementary education officer, said admissions under the EWS category would take place only after government schools are done with the annual examinations. “The academic calendar has been disrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ongoing session is likely to continue till April/May, after which annual examinations will be held at schools. EWS admissions are conducted on the basis of scores secured by students in the school examination, so we will have to wait for the session to end, after which we can initiate the admission process,” said Yadav.