Girl, uninterrupted

It is advantage girls this admission season as schools across Delhi come together to promote the education of the girl child. With nursery admission in full swing, a majority of schools have kept points for girls, reports Swaha Sahoo.

It is advantage girls this admission season as schools across Delhi come together to promote the education of the girl child. With nursery admission in full swing, a majority of schools have kept points for girls.

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All three branches of Springdales, for instance, have allotted 10 points for the girl child. Principal of Springdales, Pusa Road, Ameeta Wattal said, “Despite this being the country’s capital, the number of girls coming to my school is much lesser than the number of boys. We usually have a disturbing ratio of 70 boys to 30 girls.”

At Manav Sthali School, the ratio of girls to boys is usually 35:65, said Director Mamta Bhatnagar. “Since the number of boys coming in is greater. We have decided to give girls the privilege of 5 points,” said Bhatnagar.

Many other schools including Laxman Public School and Mahavir Junior Model School have also allotted five points for girls.

However, keeping out boys has backfired in some cases. At Gyan Bharti School, Saket, five points for the girl child meant girls outnumbered boys the previous session. “Last year there were as many as 20 girls in a class of 25. So this time we have removed the girl child criterion,”said Principal R.C. Shekhar.

At DPS, Vasant Kunj, a similar problem was addressed by giving equal weightage to a first-born boy child. Parents have welcomed this fine balance. “It is great that you encourage girls. But in a case like ours, where we did not choose to have a boy, it turns into a disadvantage. DPS Vasant Kunj has done a great job of balancing both aspects,” said Sania Sethi, parent.