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

Nursery Admissions Delhi 2017-18 Schedule and Guidelines (Directorate of Education)

Admission Schedule for entry level classes for open seats in Private unaided recognized schools of Delhi for session 2017-18

The DOE will issue another set of guidelines and schedule for schools on DDA land

Nursery Admissions Delhi 2017-18



In a first, the Directorate of Education will issue two sets of guidelines for admission into nursery of private schools - one for schools on public land, another for the rest.

Late on Monday, DoE issued guidelines for the second lot. For schools on private land, the nursery process begins on January 2; admission criteria will be uploaded online and submitted to DoE the day before.

Application forms will be available from January 2 and parents will have time till January 23 to submit. Details for children competing for "open" -unreserved -seats, will have to be filled in by January 31 and the tally of points (out of hundred) for each child will be uploaded by February 6.]The first list of selected candidates and the waiting list will be posted on February 15.

In another first, the DoE has allowed a three-day window -from February 16 to 18 -for "resolution of queries of parents...regarding allotment of points to their ward in the first list." All details -full list of criteria and points allotted to each parameter -will be available on the DoE's website. The second list should be out by February 28 and the process, if all goes to plan, should be over by March 31, 2017.

But things may not be as simple. Monday's "guidelines and schedule are not applicable for the schools running on the land allotted by DDA on the condition that "the school shall not refuse admission to the resident of the locality" or "the society shall undertake to admit 75% of the students of the neighbourhood or from the locality in which the school is located"." The DoE will issue another set of guidelines and, possibly, a different schedule for this lot of schools -285 as per the attached, "tentative" list. These may constitute a fraction of the total number of private unaided schools - about 1,700 - but some of these invite the fiercest competition. The appended list includes several DAVs, Delhi Public Schools, Bal Bhartis, Heritages and also Vasant Valley and Ahlcon International. The issue of criteria for this lot is in court. Admissions into the 25% EWSDG (economically weaker section/disadvantaged categories) seats will be handled by the DoE directly. There should be third list of instructions for that.

source: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

For 285 schools built on DDA Land, there will be separate schedule and guidelines

Nursery Admissions for the session 2017-18 will begin from January 2,2017 in around 1400 private unaided recognised schools in the capital. But it does not cover the 285 schools built on DDA Land. There will be separate guidelines and schedule for these 285 schools.

According to the notification, guidelines for these schools will be declared later. These 285 schools comprise some of the most well-known institutions in the city.

For the remaining schools, the guidelines remain largely the same as last year. Criteria such as distance from school, parents as alumni, sibling in the same school, girl child etc can be used and points can be ascribed to them as the school deems fit.

Unfair criteria — such as giving points if the applicant’s parents are well-educated, if the child is proficient in music, or if the parent is vegetarian — however, will not be allowed. Management quota will be allowed but will be capped at a maximum of 20 per cent.

The difference this year, however, is that schools will have to reserve two days to resolve parents’ grievances, if any, after the declaration of the first admission list.

The guidelines released Monday flowed from the legal battle fought last year. The Delhi government had come out with a strict guideline where it did away with the management quota and defined the basis on which points could be given. Schools went to court over the matter and won. They were allowed to frame their own guidelines provided they were fair, non-discriminatory, and did not violate Right to Education Act.

The cost of one form is capped at Rs 25. Parents will not be forced to buy school prospectus. All schools will have to reserve 25 per cent of their seats for students from the economically weaker section. These admissions will be carried out by a centralized online application system.

source: www.indianexpress.com/

Nursery admissions to begin from Jan 2 in 1,400 Delhi schools

Nursery admissions will begin from January 2, 2017, in around 1,400 private unaided recognized schools in the capital for the next academic session but this announcement does not cover the 285 schools build on DDA land as there will be separate guidelines and schedule for them.

The Directorate of Education (DOE) on Monday announced the admission schedule for around 1,400 schools, out of the total 1,700 schools. Admission forms will be available from January 2 and the last date of submission of application forms is January 23, officials said.

These schools will be free to decide the criteria and its points for admission but they will have to steer clear from a list of 51 criterions, which the government had abolished last year.

The abolished criteria include, parent’s education, parent’s profession, age, oral test and interview.

“The admission process for general category seats will begin from January 2. Schools can decide pointers for the criteria but they cannot adopt 51 listed criteria that have been abolished by the government,” officials said.

DOE said that separate guidelines and schedule for 285 schools on DDA land given on lease condition will be announced later. The government had earlier announced that schools build on DDA land will have to follow only the distance criterion.

“The above guidelines and schedule is not applicable for the schools running on the land allotted by DDA on the condition that ‘the school shall not refuse admission to the resident of the locality’ or ‘the society shall undertake to admit 75% of the students of the neighbourhood or from the locality in which the school is located’,” DOE said on Monday.

The first list of selected candidates, including the wait list candidates, along with marks allotted under point system, will be announced by schools on February 15. After the first list is out, the parents can get their doubts resolved about allocation of points or any other queries related to the admission procedure for three days, i.e. February 16, 17, and 18.

“The second list, if any, will come out on February 29 and the admission process will close on March 31,” DOE said in its notification.

DOE said that the minimum age should be 3 years by March 31 of the year in which admission is being sought. It also said that the number of seats at the entry level shall not be less than the highest number of seats in entry level classes during last three years.

The documents that can be considered as proof of residence of parents are, ration card issued in the name of parents, domicile certificate of child or his/her parents, voter ID card of any of the parent.

AT A GLANCE

1. School to upload criteria and their points on DOE wesbite: Jan 1

2. Application forms to be available: Jan 2

3. Last date of submission of application forms: Jan 23

4. Schools to upload marks (as per point system) given to each applicant: Feb 6

5. Schools to announce first list of selected candidates: Feb 15

6. Schools to announce second list of selected candidates: Feb 29

7. Closure of admission Process: March 31

source: www.hindustantimes.com/

Neighbourhood may be only criterion for nursery admissions in Delhi

The distance between a child’s home and school could be the only criteria for admissions in the coming season, a move that will simplify the procedure but is being questioned by schools.

If the Kejriwal government’s proposal on “neighbourhood criterion” is implemented, some of Delhi’s prominent private schools built on government land will have to follow the norm.

“This time, we are planning to keep distance as the only criterion. This will give equal weightage to all applications as there will be no other criteria,” Atishi Marlena, adviser to the Delhi education minister, told HT.

Typically, Delhi schools follow a point system and “neighbourhood”is one of the parameters that decide the school a child would go to.

Schools would be free to determine the distance but in keeping with the right to education guidelines.

As many as 285 private schools built on DDA land such as GD Goenka Rohini and Vasant Kunj, all Delhi Public School except the one in RK Puram, all Bal Bharti schools and Vasant Valley School would have to follow the norm, Marlena said.

Till last year, “neighbourhood”, alumni – one or both the parents ex-students -- and siblings – an elder brother or sister studying in the same school -- were the three criteria for which points were allotted.

The Delhi government plans to do away with all norms but the one for distance in the guidelines expected to be released in two weeks, officials said. The admission process begins January.

With parents keen on children starting out in good schools, there is always a scramble for seats in the city’s top private institutions.

Last few years have been chaotic, with parents dragging schools and government to court over norms that were changed several times.

Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, who will have the final word, has welcomed the move but has some reservations.

He pointed out in a note that only 285 of the 1,700 private schools were given land by government on condition of having a say in admissions, sources said.

“He has expressed concern that it might create a subset of schools which have admission polices different from other schools,” sources said.

Jung had asked the government to consults all stakeholders to come up with a transparent and uniform policy.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, was likely to meet parents, teachers and other stakeholders on December 5, sources said.

Schools can impose other criteria but only for seats left vacant after exhausting the neighborhood norm, Marlena said.

Schools are not happy.

“Schools will suffer as the quality of students may suffer if you have students from one area only. All neighborhoods don’t have enough number of schools and if distance is fixed, students in many areas will be left with no options,” said a principal on condition of anonymity.

source: www.hindustantimes.com/

Schools may get to decide the distance to which neighbourhood rule will apply

Private schools may get the right to decide the area to which the neighbourhood criterion will apply for nursery admissions for the academic session 2017-18. The government plans to set one kilometre as the minimum distance for the norm.

This year the government is planning to make ‘neighborhood’ or the distance between a child’s home and school as the only criteria for nursery admissions. The move will impact 285 schools built on land allotted by the Delhi Development Authority. The land allotment terms state that schools cannot deny admissions to residents of neighboring areas.

The government on Monday held a consultation with schools to discuss nursery admission guidelines, implementation of DDA allotment letters, and the definition of the terms — locality and neighborhood.

Officials said the government’s plan is in line with a Supreme Court direction that says schools have to strictly implement terms of land allotment. The current consultation comes in the wake of a petition filed by ‘Justice for All’ in high court which states that as per the land lease agreement between schools and DDA, schools cannot deny admissions to students from the neighbourhood.

Deputy chief minister and education minister Manish Sisodia told schools that they will be free to define neighbourhood but the minimum distance they have to cover is 1 kilometre.

“The minister told schools that they have to implement the terms of land allotment. But the terms don’t define the limit of neighbourhood. Schools will be free to decide the distance they want to cover under neighbourhood but the minimum distance will be 1 kilometre,” sources said.

Advocate Khagesh Jha, who has filed the petition in HC, said, “Schools will have autonomy to decide the distance but fixing it at 1 kilometre means that the applicant from within that distance will not be denied admission by the school.”

Schools have been asked to send their feedback in a few days over government’s move. “We will send our feedback in a day or two,” said a school representative, who attended the meeting.

Nursery admissions for the upcoming academic session are likely to begin from January 1.

source:www.hindustantimes.com

Non-refundable fee policy in Gurgaon Schools....

Parents are worried over absence of refund policy

Nursery admissions for the next academic year have already begun in many private schools in the city. But the absence of a refund policy and lack of intervention from education authorities are putting parents in a tight spot.

Most private schools set the percentage of non-refundable fees between 45% and 50%. Unlike Delhi, where the share of refundable fee is decided by the education authorities, in Gurgaon, each school decides its own without much transparency. As a result, parents say they are losing money in cancellations.

In Delhi, if a child is withdrawn within one month of deposit of fees, the school can deduct admission fees/registration fees —both very low in Delhi as compared to Gurgaon — and one month's tuition fees, and it has to refund the balance amount within 15 days.

"Private schools in Gurgaon have created a monopoly charging by whatever they wish. It is very important for the government to intervene or else the parents will keep suffering the same way," said Jatin Gudwani, a parent who works with Castrol India. He suggested that the city's education department could a take a leaf out of Delhi's policy in these cases.

The state government also seems to have turned a deaf ear in the matter, which has been going on for more than five years now, said parents.

The absence of a refund policy becomes a bigger problem for parents because there is no set timeline for opening of school admissions. In Gurgaon, the admission process runs for four months, starting mid-July, and some sought-after schools either come up with results or open admissions in October. Hence, parents are in catch 22 situations as there is no uniform fee refund policy.

"My son got through in DPS Sushant Lok, and the school authorities asked us to make a payment of Rs 1 lakh. They told us they would refund only Rs 40,000 in case of cancellation. Anyway, we did not pay the money, hoping he will make it to some other school. But that hasn't happened either and now I am out of options," saidNeeta Saini, a parent and a teacher working with a government school.


source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Shiv Nadar School, Gurgaon - Important Updates, Nursery Admissions 2017-18

Registrations for Nursery Admissions for the session 2017-18 will open on the 14th September, 2016 (11 AM to 4 PM)

Important Updates regarding Nursery Admissions

1. Registration window for Nursery Admissions at Shiv Nadar School, Gurgaon for the session 2017-18 will open on the 14th of September' 2016 between 11 AM and 4 PM


2. You can click on REGISTER FOR ADMISSION to go to the registration portal.


3. Due to multiple Nursery Admission windows in the city, the nursery admission fee for session 2017-18 has been made refundable. The admission withdrawal has to be made latest by October 31st, 2016 to avail the admission fee refund.

To know more click here    

Gurgaon parents puzzle due to varying nursery admission procedures

Gurgaon schools, unlike Delhi schools, do not have a regulatory body to check nursery admission procedures that started in July

With the age limit for nursery admission still unclear, parents seeking admission for their little ones have more to worry about after schools notified different admission procedures.

While some schools are using point system and lottery system to choose students, some others prefer personal interaction. Some institutions are also giving admission on a first-come first-served basis.

Gurgaon schools, unlike Delhi schools, do not have a regulatory body to check nursery admission procedures that started in July. The district education officers (DEOs) - elementary and senior - say the nursery section does not come under their purview.

“Every parent chooses at least three to four schools for their child. The problem is that each school is following different criteria and it is not mentioned on their websites. Most of the time, we have to call the reception and get all the information. If we miss something, the chances of our child getting admission will be lower,” Sarthak Thakur, a parent said.

Some parents blamed schools for going against the Right to Education (RTE) norms by screening and profiling children. However, schools said the interaction session is conducted so that parents can understand the school better.

A parent, requesting anonymity, said, “Recently, we were called to a school for an interview. The interviewer was more interested in knowing my profession and the annual package than knowing about the child. We were furious but as it is a good school, so we had to play along.”

Dhriti Malhotra, principal, Manav Rachna International School in Sector 46, said, “Children are chosen on a first-come-first-served basis after which we conduct interactions. We want to understand the child better and help the parents understand the institution better.”

Schools that follow point system give scores to applicants on criteria such as distance from school, sibling, girl child and contribution towards national cause. For example, HDFC School in Sector 57 gives priority to applicants on three grounds - proximity from school, siblings and employee’s child.

Rupa Chakravarty, principal of Suncity World School in Sector 53 said, “Point system is the most transparent way to admit children. The system was made after a lot of research and is beneficial for all stakeholders, including parents, children and the school.”

However, some parents said the point system is unfair. They said if they want their child to go to a good school, they have to buy a house in the locality. Parents with a single child questioned the sibling criteria.

“I want my child to go to a school in Sector 57. My in-laws have been living here for 30 years. Should I change my home now for the admission?” Sangeeta Goel of Sector 15 said.

Schools said the distance criteria is for the safety of children.

“We do not want to risk a child’s security. The first preference will be for students living in a 10-kilometre radius,” Anita Makkar, principal of The HDFC School in Sector 57, said.

Adding to the misery of parents, schools, including Ridge Valley School, Vega Schools in Sector 48, The Maurya School in Palam Vihar, have not mentioned their admission processes.

Madhu Singh, a parent said, “There is a need for some uniformity or regulation in nursery admissions. Schools should mention all details on the display boards or websites so that parents are aware of the process.”

source:www.hindustantimes.com

G D Goenka Publiv School, Gurgaon - Nursery Admissions 2017-18

ADMISSION SCHEDULE

Session 2017 - 2018
Nursery - Class XI
Pre Nursery – Malibu Towne / DLF Phase II

SALE OF FORMS

 FROM AUGUST 5, 2016
 ON ALL WORKING DAYS
BETWEEN 08:30 A.M. AND 3:30 P.M.

SUBMISSION OF FORMS

WITHIN 3 DAYS OF PURCHASE OF FORM
 BETWEEN 08:30 A.M. AND 3:30 P.M.

COMPLETION OF ADMISSION FORMALITIES 

WITHIN 3 DAYS OF ADMISSION OFFER
BETWEEN 08:30 A.M. AND 3:30 P.M.

Nursery schools in Gurgaon costlier than IITs...

In what should rile parents of private school students in Gurgaon, it has been revealed by a survey conducted by a parents' forum in Delhi/NCR that on average, nursery schools charge more than the fee for an undergraduate course at IITs.

Conducted by Admission Nursery, the survey says a parent in Gurgaon pays an average of Rs 3 lakh a year for a year in the nursery class of a CBSE school. Most CBSE schools charge anything between Rs 2.8 lakh and Rs 3.7 lakh, whereas IITs charge a maximum of Rs 2 lakh per annum, along with overhead charges such as fees for accommodation, admission, campus management, etc., that does not exceed Rs 30,000.

One-time charges in schools — that are paid at the time of admission — are as high as Rs 1 lakh. Tuition fees for nursery classes range from Rs 80,000 to Rs 1.9 lakh per year. Most CBSE schools in Gurgaon charge admission fees, which are non-refundable, that are 20-50 times higher than Delhi schools.

"Schools in Delhi charge about Rs 500-1,500 as admission fees. In comparison, Gurgaon schools charge anything between Rs 30,000 and Rs 80,000, which is non-refundable. That means, if my child makes it to a better school, I will have to bear the loss. However, we have no option but to give in to the demands of private schools," said Nyra Gupta, a resident of Sector 45, who wants to get her daughter admitted in a good CBSE school in Gurgaon.

Sakshi Chopra, a parent from South City II, said, "Parents here are paying the price of lack of regulation by district authorities. There is no uniformity of charges sought by schools. I don't think there is anything exceptional in these schools. We're just paying the price of living in an expensive city."

In Delhi, no school is allowed to charge over Rs 25 for the admission form. In Gurgaon, schools charge a 4-digit fee for that. Moreover, it is not mandatory for parents in Delhi to buy a prospectus, while many schools in Gurgaon make it compulsory.

source:timesofindia.indiatimes.com