Schools create 'hurdles' for poorer parents, demand birth certificates

A few Delhi schools have made it mandatory to produce birth certificate and ensure the presence of the child for applicants seeking nursery admission forms under the economically weaker section category.

 Schools like Flora Dale School in Dilshad Garden, Greenways Senior Secondary School in Dilshad Garden and Bharat National Public School in Ram Vihar are also distributing economically weaker sections category (EWS) forms in the afternoon.

But they are not demanding any documents for those applying under the general category and the forms are distributed in the morning.

“Despite circulars and guidelines by the government, the schools are finding ways to escape from giving admission under the underprivileged category by creating innovative hurdles,” said Rajiv Kumar from Pardarshita NGO.

These schools have also refused to accept forms from parents who are producing Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates and are instead asking for an income certificate issued by the sub-divisional magistrate.

“According to directorate of education’s (DoE) guidelines children belonging to SC/ST/OBC communities need not submit any income certificate,” added Kumar.

Among others, Sneh International Senior Secondary School in New Rajdhani Enclave and Bal Mandir School in Defence Enclave have made it mandatory to submit attested copies of domicile and fitness certificates of the child which is not required according to DoE’s guidelines.

Parent moves court against age limit rule

Pankaj Kumar, a parent who is applying under the EWS category has moved the Delhi High Court challenging the authority of Sachdeva Public School to fix an upper age limit for their nursery admission criteria, reports DHNS from New Delhi.

Kumar’s child is a month and six days older than the upper age limit of four years fixed by the school which is why it has refused to accept his application.

The petitioner argues that the school is not authorised to fix an upper age. Hence, ‘putting a cap is arbitrary, illegal and unjust.’ 

Kumar works as a driver and has been a resident of Delhi for last 15 years.

“Most of the schools, nearly 80 per cent across the capital, have fixed the upper age limit for nursery admission and therefore, the court’s decision will have wide ramifications,” said advocate Khagesh Jha.

According to the Recognised Schools (admission procedure for pre-primary class) Order 2007, which is still in operation, only the minimum age has been stipulated for admission in class 1, pre-primary and pre-school classes and an upper age limit cannot be fixed by the schools.