Parents seeking admission for their little ones complain that a number of private schools are not complying with Right to Education Act (RTE) in nursery admissions. They say private schools continue to screen students and parents looking for admission though RTE norms prohibit the exercise.
A number of parents said schools, in the name of admission processes, conduct interactions and try to get information about their financial status and job profiles. A few schools have even dedicated a separate section for the income details of parents in the application forms.
However, Section 13 of the RTE Act, 2009, says, “No capitation fee and screening procedure for admission: (1) No school or person shall, while admitting a child, collect any capitation fee and subject the child or his or her parents or guardian to any screening procedure.”
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Rajesh Gupta (name changed) of Sector 57 said, “My wife and I were called to a private school to complete a few formalities and have an interaction. But when the school official came, they started enquiring about my job and income. We were shocked but it is a reputed school and we did not want to risk our child’s future.”
Ashish Mehra, another parent, posted about a similar nursery school interview on a social media site. “We went for an interaction at a well-known school in Gurgaon and it felt more like an interview. The management asked us about everything, starting from my job, office address, salary and even my father’s salary. It was disturbing to see how education has now become a profit-making business,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Ashish Mehra, another parent, posted about a similar nursery school interview on a social media site. “We went for an interaction at a well-known school in Gurgaon and it felt more like an interview. The management asked us about everything, starting from my job, office address, salary and even my father’s salary. It was disturbing to see how education has now become a profit-making business,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Schools denied parents’ claims and said that the interaction or interview sessions are conducted to inform parents and children about the functioning of the school. They also said that at times, the child may have some special needs and the school tries to outline this in the interactions.
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“The interaction sessions are being conducted to create a better understanding between the school and parents. We do not want to enquire about the parents’ profile and flout the RTE norms,” a principal said requesting anonymity.