Cry for uniform policy on kids of single parents

The scramble for seats in nursery schools has begun but the point system used for the admissions is giving many parents sleepless nights. Parents upset over differences in definition of category. Shaswati Das reports.

The scramble for seats in nursery schools has begun but the point system used for the admissions is giving many parents sleepless nights.

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Most schools allot only five points to children of single parents, though the definition of the category varies. Some schools define the category as children of widows or widowers, while others also include children of divorcees, separated or unmarried parents. There is, however, no uniformity of definition.

“The definition varies with each school. Some schools don’t even allot any points to such children,” said Sumit Vohra, founder, www.admissionsnursery.com.

Parents insist that schools need to reconsider.

“It is extremely unfair that schools don’t consider divorcees as single parents. Schools that do give some weightage, assign five points, which is as good as nothing,” said Meeta Sharma (name changed), a divorcee.

Schools such as Springdales, Pusa Road, give equal opportunities to children of divorcees and separated or unmarried parents, but schools of the Delhi Public School society allot no such points.

Schools are at liberty to decide the categories to include in the point system, thereby allowing some to leave out single parents as a category altogether.