Pvt schools begin nursery admissions, parents demand a common window

Schools including Shri Ram Millennium School, Kunskapsskolan International and Blue Bells Model School, are currently accepting applications from parents of prospective students while other schools will be starting registrations in the latter half of August or in September.

Private schools in the city have started inviting applications for admission to the nursery section for the academic year 2020-21. Admissions usually take place between August and October in a staggered manner, with most schools deciding their own admission schedule and criteria. Schools including Shri Ram Millennium School, Kunskapsskolan International and Blue Bells Model School, are currently accepting applications from parents of prospective students while other schools will be starting registrations in the latter half of August or in September.

Some schools said they would be following a first-come-first-serve system for nursery admissions. (HT Archive)

As per the guidelines issued by the state directorate of elementary education in February, a 1km neighbourhood preference, a uniform age limit and random lottery system are some of the criteria that all schools need to follow for admitting children to the nursery section. Some schools, however, continue to follow a first-come-first-serve basis criterion for admission.

Blue Bells Model School in Sector 4 started the registration process earlier this month. School principal Alka Singh said the school plans to complete its admission process by mid-October. “We have started with the registrations, but the formal process, which includes interaction with the child, will be done later in September or in the first week of October. We plan to wind up the admission process by October 15,” she said. The school is following a first-come-first-serve system for admission. “We have limited seats due to which we have adopted this approach,” she said.

Shikshantar School in South City I also opened registration to nursery on August 5 and the last day to apply was Tuesday, August 13. The school uses the lucky draw system to select candidates. “Whosoever meets the age criteria can apply, after which a lucky draw is conducted for the final selection,” said a school spokesperson.

Other schools, including Shiv Nadar and eritage Xperiential Learning School, will open admissions to nursery in the latter half of August and September, respectively.

Schools also said that parents were free to visit the premises before admission. Parents, however, said that the process was confusing as there is no common admission window.

Sonu Singh, mother of a 3.6-year-old boy, said that the admission process was not streamlined. “Some schools invite applications in July, some in August, and some in September and October. It becomes very difficult for parents to keep a tab on so many dates, and sometimes, one ends up missing the timeline. It also adds to the financial burden since schools expect us to pay thousands or even lakhs of rupees in fee to reserve a seat,” Singh said.

She added that most schools were charging anywhere between ₹1,000-₹2,500 for the registration form. “I have already spent more than ₹4,000 on forms in three different schools. Most of them have different age criteria as well, which adds to the confusion,” she said.