Law soon to ban nursery school interviews for kids, parents: Ratnakar

Karnataka will soon bring a new law banning interviewing of a child or parents for admission to nursery school, Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education Kimmane Ratnakar has said.

The government has taken this decision following complaints by parents that managements of nursery schools not only interview them but also their children during admission. The minister, who was in the National Capital to attend a meeting convened by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sainik schools, told Deccan Herald that the government would not allow school managements to “fleece parents in the guise of interviews”.

He said that he had been holding meetings with MLCs representing graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies and other elected representatives on this matter. The Right to Education (RTE) Act bans screening of child or parents for admission to class 1-8 (6-14 years). But the Delhi High Court ruled in 2013 that the RTE Act shall not apply to nursery admissions in unaided schools for the unreserved category of students.

The minister, however, maintained that banning interviews in nursery admissions was entirely the domain of the State government. “We can take action without any hindrances.” The State government has already made it mandatory that play schools and nurseries register with the Department of Public Instruction. It is also considering reserving the 25 per cent of seats in private schools under the RTE Act only for children from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, Ratnakar added.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi is also working on barring nursery schools from interviewing a child below the age of six or his/her parents for admission.

It is likely to introduce the Delhi School Education (Amendment) Bill, 2015, which provides for punishment of up to 10 years to school authorities who interview a child or parents for admission to nursery class.