Kendriya Vidyalaya online admission off target

The decision to start the online admission process was taken recently by the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS),Mumbai Region,and will be implemented in all schools come under Mumbai KVS.

Online admission is already a familiar concept in many private schools. In KVs,it has not yet picked up,said school authorities.

R K Lale,Principal of K V,Range Hills Estate (Khadki),said,“Not all parents are computer-literate,that is the reason they are a bit apprehensive of using internet for admission.” Lale added that next year onwards,the school will take steps to educate parents about the concept and make it more popular.

Principal of K V Southern Command,Joshua Hasteings,feels that people are so used to buying forms,filling it,getting an application number and following up with the school that online admission is yet to catch up with them. He said that they are yet to realize that the admission process,when done online,is not only convenient but also takes less time. “For 160 seats,we received 300 forms. People applying for admission online is around 3 per cent this year. I hope the figure rises by the next academic year,” said Hasteings.

One of the reasons Lale cited for the poor response was the decision being implemented shortly after it was taken. “We did not get enough time to inform parents or create awareness about it,” he said.

At K V No. 1,Dehu Road,which did not receive a single application online,the problem is technical,says principal S P Patil. “The area has a problem with connectivity. So,even if parents want to apply online,they can’t,due to the poor connection,” stated Patil. He also said that having only one computer with internet made things difficult at their end,too,for the online process.