Nursery admissions: Management quota in pvt schools scrapped

Leaving the 25% quota for the economically weaker section/disadvantaged groups (EWS/DG) category, there can be no other quota for admission.

The Delhi government has ordered private unaided schools in the city to remove the management quota and other discriminatory criteria for nursery admission.

Parents buy nursery admission forms for their children at Air Force Bal Bharti School at Lodhi Road in New Delhi on Friday. (Saumya Khandelwal/ HT photo)

Leaving the 25% quota for the economically weaker section/disadvantaged groups (EWS/DG) category, there can be no other quota for admission. The remaining 75% seats will have to remain open for the general category.

Staff will be able to get a large number of points in the points system for the admission of their wards. Currently, schools offer a quota of 5% to staff members’ children.

“There will be no management quota for nursery admission. Management quota is the biggest scam in India. It is just a way to loot money,” said Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal at a press conference. All schools allot 20% of the seats for management quota.

The schools had this time allotted points for parents food habits, their background such as giving points to ward of the defense, civil servants and also for ‘talented parents’ who have done well in arts and literature.

Kejriwal said these criteria cannot be used at all for nursery admission. The government will also release 62 illustrative criteria that are considered discriminatory.

“Schools can set their own criteria but it cannot be discriminatory. Schools who flout can be derecognized or taken over by government. Schools are free to set the points system but it can’t be discriminatory. We won’t say how many points to allot for which criterion but the criteria have to be just,” said Kejriwal.

Earlier last week, the Directorate of Education (DoE) had issued a circular on the same asking schools to remove the discriminatory criteria, as it goes against the ‘right to equality’ enshrined in the Constitution.

Kejri scraps management, other quotas in pvt schools

The schools will now have to adjust the points and release a set of new criteria. The process of distributing forms for nursery admissions began on January 1 and will end on January 22. The first list of selected candidates will be displayed on February 15.