Delhi High Court Refuses To Direct Private School To Admit Kids Under EWS Quota - Nursery Admissions Delhi-NCR

The Delhi High Court has refused to entertain a plea seeking a direction to an unaided private school to admit two children under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category after taking note of their certificates to this effect.

The Delhi High Court has refused to entertain a plea seeking a direction to an unaided private school to admit two children under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category after taking note of their certificates to this effect.

A vacation bench of Justices Manmohan and Yogesh Khanna said it cannot issue such a direction on a plea of a third person but may entertain a petition of their parents.

The court said it had decided similar cases in past in which large number of parents procured fake EWS certificates to obtain admissions in nursery for their wards.

It said that though its order had gone against the errant parents for procuring fake certificates to get admission, it, however, had persuaded the Directorate of Education (DoE) of Delhi Government to allow the admitted kids to pursue their studies as they were not at fault.

"With great difficulty, we had persuaded the department (DoE) not to cancel their (children with fake EWS certificate) admissions," the bench said.

The court's observation came during the hearing of a plea by a young woman seeking a direction to a private unaided school to admit the two kids in nursery on the basis of EWS certificate.

She also told the high court that the parents had sought help of the area MPs and MLAs in this regard, but to no avail.

The bench said that if the parents can approach MPs and MLAs, why can't they come to the court.

"Let the parents approach this court, we will certainly look into it," the bench said, adding that the petitioner has "no locus" to argue the matter.

Delhi has close to 1.25 lakh nursery seats up for grabs for around 1.5 lakh applicants. Every school is required to reserve 25 per cent seat for students from the EWS category.

Source: ptinews.com

HINDI MEDIUM, a movie that takes a dig at education system - Nursery Admissions Delhi-NCR

The film shows the plight of parents struggling to get a nursery seat for their child.

If you are a parent living in Delhi who has fought a battle of nursery admission or is a parent who would do that in near future, the film Hindi Medium is your story. Having covered the nursery admissions in the last one decade as a journalist and now a parent myself, I can say that getting a nursery seat is a herculean task in Delhi. The film shows the real-life experiences of parents and the problems thousands of them face every year, with a dash of humour.

Illustration: Ashish Asthana

The film, starring Irrfan Khan and Pakistani actress Saba Qamar, shows the plight of parents who aspire to send their daughter to an English medium school. Probably the first film made to highlight the flaws of education system, it points out at the need to reform the education system. It shows that education, which is supposed to be a not-for-profit activity and right of every child, has emerged as a big business opportunity. 

While the film will release on May 19, a screening was organized on May 13 for deputy chief minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia, who handles the education portfolio, and the department of education. 

The government-run schools across India are in bad shape. Shortage of classrooms, insufficient teachers and low learning levels are some of the problems they have faced over the years. They have been left to decay for a long time. It is because of the poor standards of such schools that parents have shifted to private schools. 

More children and less number of good quality private schools; the nursery admission blues has become an annual problem since the private schools got autonomy. And it has become challenging for parents to score a seat for their child in the city.

The film is about a couple who dream to give the best education to their daughter and the problems they face. Irrfan Khan portrays the role of a father with a daunting task in hand. A businessman from Chandni Chowk in central Delhi, he wants his daughter to get admission in areputed school in Delhi. He is ready to do anything. From changing house and moving to a posh neighbourhood in south Delhi to come within the 3 km radius of the school, to bribing the school principal and asking an MLA for help, he leaves no stone unturned. The couple also hire a consultant for this. But still do not manage to get admission. Meanwhile, his worker’s son gets admission in a reputed school under the quota reserved for economically weaker section (EWS). When all other means fail, he decides to take the EWS route. 

The film highlights the pressure build up on children to speak in English and how education is creating a divide within the society. It also points out at the increasing ambition of parents from EWS to send their children in English medium schools. The RTE Act mandates reserving 25 percent seats for such children, but corruption and scams act as roadblocks. Manish Sisodia said that the film has shown the reality and that is why the government of Delhi is working hard to solve the problem. He said there is a need to focus on the quality of government school education and the government must develop a strong alternative to private schools. “Improving the system is a complex issue, but the work has already been started.” He added that the stigma attached to the government school will take time to go. “Private schools have become really powerful. They do whatever they wish to. And whenever we pass any regulation, they pressurize and corrupt the system. I don’t think by bringing more strict rules and regulation we can really solve this problem. The solution lies in fixing the problem with government schools. We are working to bring the government schools at par with the private schools by improving their quality. If people are confident about government schools, then only this problem can be solved.” Sisodia said that government schools have been left to decay for around 25 years and thus, cannot be improved overnight. “For the last two years we have been improving the quality of government schools. The confidence of people is increasing now. And it will take some time to change the perception of government schools.” The education minister also said that the government is working to bring strict rules and regulations to ensure there is enough transparency in the system. “There are laws which favor private schools. 

 Atishi Marlena, advisor to Manish Sisodia, also attended the screening. She said that the film is excellent portrayal of the education crisis in Delhi. “We know the problem when it comes to nursery admission. We know many scams happen in the EWS admission in the private schools. There is a demand and supply problem. There are very few high quality schools. And I think eventually the answer is to improve government schools.” Marlena also said that the government is working to make the process of nursery admission in private schools more transparent, and also improving the quality of government schools is the way ahead.

Source : www.governancenow.com

Delhi govt raises upper age limit for EWS nursery admissions - Nursery Admission Delhi

The Delhi government raised the upper age limit for admission to entry-level classes under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Disadvantaged Group (DG) category, by an year.

The Delhi government on Wednesday raised the upper age limit for admission to entry-level classes under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Disadvantaged Group (DG) category, by an year.

The government had in 2015 fixed upper age limit for admissions to pre-school (nursery), pre-primary (KG) and class I as 4 years, 5 years and 6 years, respectively.

However, now the Directorate of Education (DoE) has raised it to 5 years, 6 years and 7 years, respectively and directed the schools to apply the new age limit for the admissions to 2017-18 academic session as well.

"The age for granting admission to the students at entry level classes for the academic year 2017- 18 under EWS/DG category already selected through draw of lots is raised up to one year," a communication sent to schools by DoE read.

"All the private schools are hereby directed to comply with the order accordingly and grant the admission to all such student selected under EWS/DG through computerised draw of lots in the school allotted to them by May 15," it added.

As the Delhi High Court had in 2016 ordered a stay on the earlier age limit, the government had not announced any upper age limit for the admissions under the two categories for this academic session.

"Since no upper age was fixed for the admission in entry level classes under the two categories, the children older than the minimum age for admission were also selected among these 31,269 children," the DoE communication said.

Delhi High Court had last week ordered the government to raise the upper age limit as an interim measure and proceed with the admissions.

A total of 1,13,991 students applied for the admission in the entry-level classes and 31,269 students got selected through computerised lots of draw.

source: zeenews.india.com

400+ seats vacant but locked due to indecisive Delhi Govt!?

HT Delhi : Around 400 nursery seats will remain vacant this year as the Delhi government has decided NOT to hold a second round of lottery for admission in the economically weaker section/disadvantaged (EWS/DG) category for private schools.

In a circular issued by the Directorate of Education (DOE), the government said that 384 seats have remained vacant as there were no applications in these school or the applicants were allotted a school of higher preference.

This year, the DOE had received 1,13,991 online applications for the 31,653 EWS/DG category seats. Through the computerized draw of lots, a total of 31,269 candidates were allotted schools as per their preferences.

In an affidavit filed by the government at the Delhi High Court, the government has stated that out of the 28,135 seats in 1,159 schools more than 19,000 seats have been filled.

(source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/nursery-admissions-400-ews-seats-vacant-in-private-schools-but-no-second-draw-of-lots/story-VU1MfPmQ3CL3952AVGwNeP.html)

List of selected EWS students released - Nursery Admissions Delhi 2017-18

Nursery Admissions Delhi 2017-18 (EWS/DG Category)

Delhi Government has issued the list of selected EWS candidates for the nursery admissions. The selection list is on the official website.

Click here

Revised nursery admission schedule for EWS/DG category seats in Private Unaided Recognized Schools of Delhi- Nursery Admissions 2017-18

Revised admission schedule at Entry Level Classes(Preschool/Nursery, Pre-primary/KG & Class-I) for EWS/DG. Category seats in Private Unaided Recognized Schools of Delhi for the session 2017-18. 

Admission Schedule:- .
 Last date of submission of application forms in schools 14/02/2017 (Tuesday)

The date of displaying the first list of selected candidates including waiting list  07/03/2017 (Tuesday)).

 The date of displaying the second list of candidates (if any) including waiting list 17/03/2017 (Friday)

 Closure of admission process. 31/03/2017 (Fridav)

For more details Read the Circular at DOE site

50 per cent extra seats opened up after abolition of management quota: Arvind Kejriwal

Scrapping of management quota for nursery admissions in private schools has thrown open 50 per cent extra seats for common man, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said, even as he asserted that the government had no intention of “interfering” into the daily affairs of

the schools.

The chief minister also said that the Delhi government will “think” about online admissions on 75 per cent open seats in the next year.

“The Delhi government has made school admissions totally transparent. Scrapping management quota, which were used to oblige recommendations of politicians, government functionaries and powerful people, has opened nearly 50 per cent extra seats for common man,” Kejriwal said at an interaction with parents seeking admission for their wards.

The government has “cut its own hands” in doing so as the school admission process will now take place in a transparent manner without any recommendations, he said.

“We are not going to benefit from it and the government and the chief minister have rather cut our hands otherwise our volunteers would bring recommendations and we would be doling out seats for admissions,” he said.

Replying to complaints and suggestions of parents seeking admission for their children, Kejriwal said the management quota and 62 criteria for admissions were scrapped as they were not “reasonable, fair and transparent”.

“We believed in schools and allowed them to upload their admission criteria by December 31. But some of the schools betrayed our faith and reserved upto 75 per cent seats through these criteria and various quota like alumni and sibling quota.”

The chief minister said that the admissions on 25 per cent seats under EWS quota were also riddled with irregularities and the government has now made this process online.

“They will have no better government than this one if they want to do good things but they will also not found any worse government if they indulge in irregularities,” he warned.

“Now, the schools will not have their say in it. Those who will not follow guidelines and rules will be decrecognised,” Kejriwal said, adding that his government had no intention of “interfering” in their day to day affairs.

“We will think about online admissions on 75 per cent open seats in the next year,” he said in reply to a suggestion by one of the parents.

The government has decided to focus on education and health in 2016 and is working on it, the Chief Minister said adding that policies should be framed in consultation with public, he said.

Attending the event, Deputy CM and Education minister Manish Sisodia said, “There was tremendous pressure from different quarters including the private schools to maintain the management quota. But we will not bow down to pressure,” he said.

The government has only “ordinary” powers to regulate schools and it needs to have more powers to issue directions and take action against them.

“We have included this power in Delhi Education Act by amending it and sent for approval of Centre so that so that Delhi government and private schools in Delhi could work in a better way,” he said.

Alleging that several schools had turned themselves into “teaching shops” through management quota, Sisodia said that the government was determined to stop them.

“Management quotas were used as a window through which money was taken and recommendations by ministers, bureaucrats and police officials were met,” he said.

The schools are creating “confusion” over admission criteria and ending of management quota, but the parents need not to worry as the government was with them, Sisodia said.

“The schools are doing this wilfully to scare the parents. But they do not need to worry as the government is with them to ensure transparency in admission,” he said.

The Deputy Chief Minister, while criticising the private schools over management quota and admission criteria related irregularities, also acknowledged their role in “maintaining quality of education” at a time when government schools failed to do so.

“They have been told that if they face legal problems in the way of doing good things we will change it.”

He further clarified that the government has accepted the demand of private schools for seats for children of teachers and members of management committees.

Asserting that improvement in education required efforts on all its aspects, Sisodia said that the government will focus on training and quality of education at government schools.

source: indianexpress.com

Kejriwal bouncer for private schools....

Delhi govt scraps all quotas except EWS for nursery admissions

In yet another shocker to private schools, the Delhi government on Wednesday scrapped all quotas except the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) for nursery admissions.

The decision was announced in a state cabinet meeting where Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called the 'management quota' the breeding ground for biggest scandals in the education sector in the country and said that his government will not be a mute spectator to it.

The state government also made some stark changes in admission guidelines for private school in December last year.

"What is management quota? Under it, you get admission if someone is recommended by a chief minister, education minister, judge, police commissioner, SHOs or by an income tax official. Either it is a recommendation or seats are sold. Management quota is the biggest scandal in the country which the Delhi Government is scrapping. 75 per cent admissions in private schools will be under open category. Other than EWS category, there will be no other quota," Kejriwal announced.

The government also scrapped 62 arbitrary and discriminatory admission criteria listed by schools on their websites. The decision came in the midst of the ongoing admission process for nursery classes in over 2,500 private institutions in the Capital.

Warning schools of stringent action, Kejriwal said the government will use all available options against erring institutions, including takeovers. "If they do not budge, they can be derecognised or government can take them over," he said.

Private schools in Delhi have quotas for management, siblings, alumni and many others. The decision also prohibits schools from making parents declare details like whether they smoke or drink or consume non-vegetarian food. "The government will not tolerate this. The idea is to make the admission process pro-people and transparent," Education Minister Manish Sisodia said.

The HC, in an order, had asked the Delhi government not to micro-manage the admission process following which the education department had allowed schools to frame their respective criteria and put them on their websites. Kejriwal said certain criteria put out by schools were very shocking and in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution relating to equality before law. "The education department officials told me that court has directed not to micro-manage the admission process. I told them not to worry. Tell the court that I have done this. I will tell the court that management quota is the biggest scandal and this should be stopped. And now the cabinet has given its approval," said Kejriwal.

However, school associations which had moved court in 2014 after Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung had notified the scrapping of quotas, claimed the matter is still pending and hence the announcement amounts to contempt of court. There was a judgment by a single bench of high court granting autonomy to schools for deciding quotas.

"The government had challenged the judgment seeking a stay before a double bench but the matter is still pending. Such an announcement at this stage when the matter is sub-judice amounts to contempt of court," said SK Bhattacharya, President of Action Committee for Unaided Private Schools, which has 400 schools registered under it.

"Also, management quota is not just a brainchild of private schools but also of the Justice Ganguly Committee who had also supported the issue. The tearing hurry in which the cabinet has taken this decision is not understandable," Bhattacharya added.

Private schools in Delhi adopted a cautious approach in reacting to Delhi government's decision of scrapping the management quota for nursery admissions even as various associations of unaided private schools reacted strongly saying the move is an attack on the schools' autonomy.

Ashok Sehgal, Principal, Ahlcon International School and Chairman, National Progressive Schools Conference (NPSC) said, "After schools went to high court and it ruled in favour of the schools and connotations of it, they challenged it and the matter is pending. Then to bring any order at this stage is surprising especially when the admissions have already begun. It will create further confusion for parents."

source:indiatoday.intoday.in

AAP govt strikes off 62 criteria, management quota in private schools of capital......

The AAP government Wednesday scrapped 62 assessment criteria used by private unaided schools in nursery admissions, terming them ‘arbitrary’ and ‘discriminatory’. The cabinet approved the decision to strike down criteria including economic condition, parent’s profession or area of expertise, regularity in payment of school dues and lifestyle choices of parents like smoking, drinking and eating non-vegetarian food. 

The criteria used by certain schools for nursery admissions were “shocking”, said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while explaining the reason behind the government’s move. 

“The Delhi High Court had said in an order that private school admissions cannot be micro-managed by the government… they should have the autonomy to decide the criteria for admission. But the high court had also said that the criteria and the admission process has to be fair, transparent and reasonable,” said Kejriwal. 

“When we saw the criteria put up on the websites of some schools, we were quite shocked. Some schools said that those children whose parents smoke, drink or eat non-veg will not get admission. Others said if parents know how to paint or are trained in music, the child will get extra points. The criteria are so arbitrary and discriminatory,” added the chief minister. 

The government has also decided to do away with all quotas in private school admissions except the 25 per cent reservation for students from economically weaker sections (EWS).

 “Lots of private schools have made terrific reservations. One school has only 25 per cent open seats… 75 per cent of its seats are reserved. There are all kinds of quotas — management quota, sibling quota, this quota and that quota. The court did not allow any quotas. We are opening up 50 per cent more seats for the public. What is this management quota in schools and colleges? References from the chief minister, deputy chief minister, a judge, a station house officer, commissioner of police, income tax department… or they are sold. It is either influence or sale of seats,” said Kejriwal. 

The chief minister said that no school will receive such ‘references’ from any member of his government. 

The Directorate of Education had, in a circular on December 8, 2015, directed all private, unaided and recognised schools to develop and adopt criteria for admissions for the 75 per cent open seats to entry-level classes for 2016-17. The criteria, it stated, should be “clear, well defined, equitable, non-discriminatory, unambiguous and transparent.”

 The process for nursery admissions in various schools started on January 1 and the last date for submitting admission forms is January 22. 

The government examined various admission criteria used by private schools admitting children to entry-level classes and also cited reasons for terming them ‘unjust’. 

Explaining why the criterion about parent’s economic condition was being done away with, the government said, “Parents seeking admission in a particular school are aware of the fee structure of the school and willing to pay the same. The fee structure of the school is same for everyone in the school. So, the economic condition does not matter.” 

On scrapping the criterion about parents’ profession, the government stated, “Parent’s profession should not be a matter for the admission of tiny tots as all children have the same rights.” 

Earlier this week, Transport Minister Gopal Rai had named 283 private schools which, he said, had “cheated’ the Delhi government. They had promised to let their buses be used for public transport during the odd-even operations in Delhi till January 15, but had not kept their pledge, said the minister. 

However, Kejriwal clarified that the decision approved by the Cabinet Wednesday had nothing to do with that. 

Special grounds and why they were removed 

Parents with proficiency in music, sports etc  This criterion is not just as it discriminates against other children seeking admission.

 Parents’ education India is a developing country and literacy rate is not 100 per cent. This is not just towards children whose parents don’t have a good educational background. 

Regularity in payment of school dues This is illogical. Parents seeking admission of their ward cannot be judged on this criterion. 

Both parents are working Equal opportunity should be given to non-working parent/single working parent/both parents working. 

Status of child This is illogical as one can’t assign status to tiny tots. 

First cousin of a student This will create a homogeneous group in a class/school which is not conducive for overall development of child. 

If candidate has proficiency in music and sports It is ridiculous to assign points for proficiency in music and sport to a child between the age of 3 to 6 years. 

Mother’s qualification  Equal opportunities of admission should be given to children irrespective of their mother’s qualification. 

Attitudes and values It is undefined and likely to be misused. 

Old parents  This is illogical and discriminatory. 

Scholar students This is illogical. No scholastic aptitude can be tested at entry-level classes. 

Permanent resident of Delhi by birth  This is illegal and a violation of the fundamental rights of a citizen. 

Similar cultural ethos  This is undefined. 

Joint Family  This criterion is not practically determinable and as such there is no basis of connecting it to the admission process. 

Special quality  This is undefined and likely to be misused. 

Language skills  It is illogical to assign points to this criterion. Small children should be on equal footing in terms of their quality as an entry-level class is the threshold of learning. 

Economic condition  The fee structure of the school is same for everyone, so the economic condition does not matter. 

Parent’s reason for approaching the school  This is undefined and discriminatory.

source: indianexpress.com

Parents of EWS kids daunted by online process...

The biggest issue seems to be the way the education department has mapped out schools, leaving out entire neighbourhoods and sub-localities, and incorrectly marked out distances from schools to neighbourhoods.

When Nasser Ahmed, a resident of a slum cluster in Patparganj’s Madhu Vihar area, went to the nearest cyber cafe to fill the online form for nursery admissions for his child, he was stumped. Not only did the portal fail to show his locality in the list of neighbourhoods, but it kept directing him to schools in Dwarka. “I kept trying to refill the form to no avail. I really don’t know what to do now because schools are not accepting offline forms,” said Ahmed, whose child falls under the EWS (economically weaker section) category.

Ahmed is among the many EWS/DG (disadvantaged group) parents who are struggling with the gaping holes in the online admission system. The Delhi government had decided to make nursery admissions completely online from this session. The biggest issue seems to be the way the education department has mapped out schools, leaving out entire neighbourhoods and sub-localities, and incorrectly marked out distances from schools to neighbourhoods. So, while Ahmed gets directed to Dwarka every time he types Madhu Vihar, a parent submitting an application for Budh Vihar gets directed to AIIMS in South Delhi. Schools within a kilometre of Joshi Colony, a locality in IP Extension, are missing. Dhaula Kuan is shown in Samaypur Badli, while Rohini Sector 17 shows no schools in the vicinity despite the area having plenty of them. Distance is a crucial marker for nursery admissions, as the Right to Education Act mandates that schools have to admit children living within a kilometer first, followed by those living three and six kilometers away. With locations marked incorrectly, many parents will have a hard time even entering the system. After shelling out money on cybercafes — to the tune of Rs 50 to Rs 200 per hour — parents belonging to the EWS category are then faced with the daunting task of completing the six-step admission process. It doesn’t help matters that they are unable to complete the process without filling mandatory mobile number or that pages get locked when an applicant navigates beyond it. “I don’t have a mobile phone. I also don’t have the money to buy one. I can give my neighbour’s number, but I’m sure that it will create problems during admissions,” said Raju, a parent from Shahbad Dairy. NGOs roped in to help parents are also facing problems in figuring out the details. “Even if an applicant has all documents, issues still remain. For instance, only caste certificates issued by the Delhi government are being accepted, so we don’t know what to do for migrants,” a volunteer told The Indian Express. “In view of the many issues being faced, we have written to the Directorate to discontinue the process this year and start again next year after sorting out all issues,” said Khagesh Jha, an advocate with the Delhi High Court.

source: indianexpress.com

Management quota scrapped in nursery admissions.....

Arvind Kejriwal said that a major decision has been taken to make the admission process in private schools transparent and pro-people.

In a landmark announcement which will perhaps solve school admission woes in the city, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said that a major decision has been taken to make the admission process in private schools transparent and pro-people.

"There will be only 25 per cent of EWS and 75 per cent of seats will have to be made available for general public," Kejriwal said.

Arvind Kejriwal also said that the management quota is a scandal and his government is totally against it. He also said that his government is planning to set up a monitoring committee to keep an eye on private school admissions.

"Management quota is biggest scandal which deprives common people. Delhi government is passing order to abandon management quota. We have scrapped 62 criteria of admission process in private schools that were unreasonable and discriminatory," he said. 

The Aam Aadmi Party had in December 2015 announced that the admissions under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) will be online for schools recognised under Delhi School Education Act and Rules (DSEAR), 1973 and offline for schools recognised under the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009.

source: indiatoday.intoday.in

EWS admissions to go online in select schools....

In order to make nursery admissions for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) fair and unbiased, the Delhi Government has made the procedure centralised from this year.

The government so far was issuing a common form and monitoring the draw-of-lots. The rest of the process used to be managed by the schools, but the process has now been shifted online.

With this, from filling up of forms to submitting of relevant documents and selection of students, everything will be done online. The selection will be done through an online lottery system and schools will be notified about the same.

However, online admission will be accepted only by a select group of schools, to be shortlisted by the Directorate of Education (DoE). Other schools will have a manual draw of lots for selection, just like the previous years. The DoE released an official communication in this regard on Tuesday.

The circular issued by the DoE read: “Admissions of EWS shall be made through computerised lottery system in the said schools against 25 per cent seats reserved for them under the provisions of Right to Education Act, 2009.”

“All the applicants should visit Directorate of Education website www.edudel.nic.in and click the button EWS/DG admissions 2016-17 for detailed information and instructions,” the circular further read.

The confusion between schools that will accept online admissions and the ones that will not is likely to create trouble for the parents, feel experts. “There is a lot of confusion among parents after the circular, as new system is not completely online. The system is not totally computerised and centralised system. It will have online and offline modes for different set of schools,” said Sumit Vohra, who runs a portal on nursery admissions.

Meanwhile, the DoE gave yet another warning to private schools asking them to notify their criteria for nursery admissions. The DoE had asked them to do so by December 31 or face action.

According to the data available with the DoE, 324 of 1737 private schools have not yet notified their criteria despite passing of two deadlines and the Department warning them of strict action.

The nursery admission process in Delhi schools will begin from January 1 and conclude on March 31. While the last date for submitting the applications is January 22, the first list will be out on February 15, followed by another list on February 29.

source: thehindu.com

Nursery admissions to be more transparent from this year...

To make the nursery admissions transparent from this year, the Delhi government has asked private schools to upload their admission criteria and details about the applicants online.

On Tuesday, the government announced admission guidelines for the 2016-17 academic session. Like last year, the process will begin from January 1.

Schools have been asked to upload online all the information about the children who apply and those who are selected.

They have also been asked to publicise their admission criteria online, before the procedure starts.

A circular issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE) said: “All private unaided recognised schools shall upload their criteria adopted for admission of ‘Open Seats at Entry Level Classes’ for the academic session 2016-17 on this directorate’s website. The schools shall also publicise their admission criteria on their website, if available, also well in advance before the start of admission process for public view.”

Schools have also been asked to prominently display the admission criteria and total number of seats available at the entrance.

“All the schools shall upload the details of children who apply for admission under ‘Open Seats’ and marks allotted to each of them by the schools under their point system, on the module developed by the department. The schools shall also upload the details of children admitted and wait-listed under and marks allotted to them by the schools, under their point system,” the circular said.

The government is also working on a plan to make admissions for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) completely online — from filling up of forms to selection of children through a computerised lottery system.

Nursery admissions in Delhi schools are done on the basis of a point system. Schools allot points to a child out of 100, on the basis of criteria including distance of residence from school, sibling studying in the school, if a parent is an alumni, if the child is a girl. There are some school-specific criteria too, which schools were allowed to decide after a High Court order earlier this year.

source: The Hindu

Woman Arrested in Delhi Nursery Admission Racket

Police have arrested the daughter of the alleged kingpin of a scam related to nursery schools in Delhi, who was caught posing as the mother of a child and forged documents to secure an admission at Springdales School in Dhaula Kuan.

The arrest brings the police one step closer to unravelling a racket that has brought several top city schools under the scanner. 

The arrested woman, a law student, is the daughter of Gurdeep Singh, who is the alleged mastermind behind the scam and is missing, Police said.

The police have brought in charges of forgery and impersonation against the woman, who is also believed to have been involved in more such admissions.

The scam surfaced last month after the head of one the groups Mukesh Sharma and three others Anil Kumar, Sudama Singh and Dharam Singh were arrested. 

Police have since then busted two more groups and arrested in total nine people, leading them to believe that an organized syndicate is involved in the racket. Several school officials, parents, students, touts, principals are being probed for complicity. 

The Police say there have been hundreds of such admissions in the last two years, where students are passed off as coming from economically weaker sections, and the number may go up substantially. The accused charged anything between 1 lakh and 5 lakh per admission depending on the school and the income of the parents.

Notices have been served to more than a dozen schools wherein police has sought the list of students admitted under the EWS quota and the documents furnished by them.

Well-known institutions like DPS Mathura Road, Rohini and several other DPS schools are being probed along with Bal Bharati Public School Pitampura, GD Goenka School, Modern School, Ryan International.

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/police-close-in-on-delhi-nursery-school-admissions-scam-kingpin-780016