Category-based system better than point one, say parents, experts

Move aimed at ensuring smooth procedure of nursery admission

A few city schools have introduced a category-based system from this year instead of point system in the selection procedure for nursery admissions.

Experts and parents feel this system may turn out to be beneficial since there would now  be a handful of seats available in the general category as well.

According to Sumit Vohra, founder, V R ONE— an online forum for parents seeking nursery admission for their children—last year most of the seats went to students under the criteria of sibling or alumni or both, the rest did not get much chance.

“With the category system in place, specific seats are kept aside for general category students who don't come under sibling, alumni, management, neighbourhood etc., categories. Also the students who come under other specified category are not included in the general category,” said Vohra .

Then he cited an example: “When there is a draw of lots in the general category, the students who have applied under the sibling category or any other specified category will not be included in it.”

Four schools—Apeejay School in Saket and Sheikh Sarai, and Bal Bharati School in Rohini and Pitampura—have declared their category-based guidelines where each selected category is divided in percentage instead of points

Bal Bharati school, Pitampura, out of its 368 seats would be giving 92 seats each in the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and General category, which is 25 per cent each. Then five per cent, or 18, seats are in the alumni category, 74 seats which is 20 per cent fall under the sibling category, 74 seats are on the school's discretion and 18 seats come under the staff category.

While its Rohini branch, which has a total of 184 seats, has given (apart from 25 per cent to EWS), 65 seats, or 35 per cent, in the general category, 15 per cent in sibling and 20 per cent in the management categories.

Out of 180 seats, Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai, has divided the categories under staff, physically-challenged, sibling, alumni, management quota and Representative Affirmative Action (RAA) with 5, 5, 20,10, 20, 15 per cent seats, respectively. This category is made to ensure the incoming class is as diverse as possible, representing a wide array of society.

Its Saket branch also has similar categories. Since the total number of seats are 90, seats for each category is less.

“The point system is tricky because points of each category keep adding up if one is eligible for given categories. My son is a first child, some schools are giving points on it, so I will lose on girl child and sibling points. Then if I am not an alumni, so again I lose those points. If there are students who meet the criteria for more than one category, they have more chances as their points keep adding up,” said Meenu Sharma from Pitampura.

“In the category system, even if i don't meet any criteria, there is still a chance in the general category which is not there in the point system,” she added.

An official of Bal Bharati school, Pitampura, said: “The category system is executed after a lot of thought with the intent of having smooth nursery admissions.”