With nursery admissions in the Capital being entangled in endless changes in mode of conduct and schedules, sessions will not begin before April 25.
In the latest notification issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE), following the High Court’s order, all private schools in the city have been directed to conduct a fresh draw of lots not just for inter-State transfer category but for all categories — sibling, alumni and neighbourhood, which were earlier selected with draw of lots.
As per the new schedule, schools are required to conduct fresh draw of lots and display the list of selected candidates by April 7, 2014 followed by a second list on April 15. Subsequent lists, if any, must be displayed between April 16 and 21. The admission process which was earlier supposed to be over by March 31 will now be completed by April 25.
Quoting the Delhi HC order by Justice Manmohan, the DoE notification said: “It is directed that all candidates having equal marks shall be considered equally by conducting a fresh draw of lots, wherever necessary.”
Meanwhile, the Delhi HC on Friday sought a response from the Delhi Government on a plea seeking scrapping of the alumni and sibling categories in nursery admissions. Justice Manmohan refused to pass any interim orders in the hearing conducted in his chamber and listed the matter to be taken up on July 25. The matter was listed before him after the same was mentioned before the bench of acting Chief Justice BD Ahmed and Justice S Mridul for an urgent hearing. The petition, filed by Sudhanshu Jain and some other parents through advocate Prashant Mehta, has sought quashing of the two categories or in the alternative setting up a cap on the number of seats allotted to the two groups.
Parents, who are at the receiving end of the confusion that has been prevailing ever since the DoE’s first notification on the point system came, are fed up of the mess and say that the system is appalling.
“This is so disappointing. Redraw of lots is like asking us to go through the entire tedious process again. We were thinking it was just a matter of a few days. Now this delay of 25 days is not acceptable and shows inefficiency on the part of the Government and the system which is least bothered about a child,” said Bhavna Malik, Assistant Professor in a college and a resident of Paschim Vihar who has applied in over ten schools in the Capital and secured a seat in none.
As per the High Court order and the DoE notification, the selection of all those children by draw of lots in all categories stands cancelled which means that the parents of inter-State transfer category will participate in the redraw along with those of sibling, alumni and neighbourhood category. However, seats confirmed earlier by point system, excluding the transfer cases and lottery cases, will remain untouched.
While parents are deeply aggrieved and fed up of the mess, some parents who did not secure any seat are welcoming the decision thinking it gives them another chance at selection. “It’s an assault on parents who had got selected in draw of lots earlier but I had not secured any seat so I take it as another chance for me and I hope to get one this time,” said Shantanu Mehrotra, a parent.
Agreeing with the sentiments of the parents, Sumit Vohra, founder of admissionsnursery.com said: “It is ridiculous and has led to loss of faith in the system. Parents are feeling tortured by so many twists and turns and hence approaching the court because of which the confusion is not ending.”
The unrest among parents is evident with several admission forums being flooded by anguished parents. The fiasco has led to one category of parents fighting with another.