Not NEET, not JEE, fierce competition for nursery admission in Delhi

New Delhi: Gone are the days when parents were only worried whether their children would crack the NEET or JEE exams, now they are anxious if their three-year-olds would get through the draw of lots, point system and a seat in the ‘most desired’ school. The four-month admission process for the pre-primary classes in the national capital kicked off on November 23, 2023, with the opening of the registration process of individual private unaided schools.

However, the registration process ended on December 15. There are more than 1.25 lakh seats available for nursery admission in around 1,700 private schools in Delhi. The schools reportedly started calling up parents for various enquiries, donations, booking a seat, among others.

Sumit Vohra, founder of the nurseryadmissions.com portal said, “Despite the fact that the Delhi government issued a notification saying that no deviation from the slated schedule shall be permitted and each school shall display the aforesaid admission schedule on its notice board and website, some schools are going ahead calling up parents and asking them to book the seats already and deposit the fees.”

He added, “Some schools are reportedly asking for donations. They are deliberately confusing the parents’ fraternity. We request the parents to wait for the first admission list to be out on January 12. We are trying to help parents and clarify their doubts.”As per the schedule, the list of children who have applied will be released by December 29 while the allotted points will be uploaded by January 5, 2024.The first list of selected students will be out on January 12, 2024. The list-related issues will be resolved between January 13 and 22 and the second list of selected students will be released on January 29.

Waiting game begins for parents

Once the application process is complete, the schools will review the applications and make their selections. Parents will be notified and those who are successful will be required to pay a deposit and complete other necessary paperwork.The names of those who did not get through will be placed on a waiting list. The length of the waiting list and the likelihood of getting a place will depend on the specific school and number of applicants.

However, if the parents are not happy with the outcome the application, they may be able to appeal the decision. This usually involves writing to the school and explaining why they believe that the decision was unfair. The school will then review the case and make a decision.

The competition this year remains the same and children will get admission on the point system basis. The private schools have set 100-point criteria for the admission to nursery class. It includes children within 8 kms, siblings/first born quota, siblings of children currently studying in a particular school, siblings of children passed out from this branch, among others. Meanwhile, the convent schools give preference to Christian students.