P For Pressure

More than anything else,Jai waits to make new friends with whom he can race. “I want to go to the big school,” says the toddler,even as his mom and dad flip through a fat file with admission forms of 23 schools they have applied to for admissions.

The Sachars have planned for this school seat even before little Jai was born. A pregnant Priya surfed the Internet with her anxious husband to understand admission procedures. The activity only intensified when Jai was born. They looked at websites of popular schools,even met parents of other students to collect feedback that would help them shortlist the right choices. A time-table was drawn,for themselves and for Jai,who has no idea that his schooling has caused his parents much angst even before it has started. The father accumulated his leave so that he could be free at the end of the year,closer to the dates of applications for admission and the mother spent hours telling Jai about alphabets,colours and numbers among others.

So D in DPS (Delhi Public School) stands for dog and P is for Papa. DPS is on top of the list drafted by Puneet,followed by Mother’s International on Aurobindo Marg and Vasant Valley in Vasant Kunj. “But I don’t think I’ll make it to any of them,as per the grading system being followed in most schools this year,” says Puneet.

That’s the crunch. The system has put parents like Puneet and Priya waiting for another approval in their adult lives. “We don’t want Jai to feel the pressure,but he knows we are working hard towards getting him into school,” says Puneet,a principal consultant at TriCore Solutions,Gurgaon. Few steps away,an oblivious Jai gets on the swing with his cousin Geet,in a neighbourhood park at Vasant Kunj. “The school will have swings too,” he adds excitedly.

As the Sachars swing in uncertainty,one thing is assured,Master Jai will not have to fret in the rush hour for long. The amended Right to Education that came into effect in April 2010,made it obligatory for state governments and local bodies to ensure that every child gets education in a neighbourhood school. Even so,till December 2010,parents were on tenterhooks about the admission procedure to be followed this session. That is when Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely announced that “the schools will be free to formulate their policy for admission,but it should include a criteria for categorisation of the applicants”. Twenty five percent of nursery seats,however,have been reserved for children whose parents’ annual income is less than Rs 1,00,000. “That is a little unfair on us,since we are the ones paying taxes,” rues Puneet,who submitted his last application this week,at St Paul’s School,Hauz Khas.

Following the declaration,most schools have prepared a system of points,which includes marks based on the proximity of home to school,additional points for those with siblings in the same school,children of alumni,first child,girl child,children with special needs,parents involved in social work and those who have contributed to sports at national level.

Interviewing children is barred,as is the profiling of parents based on educational qualifications and income. At the same time,some schools have found ways to discriminate one way or the other. The Mahavir Model School in North Delhi,for instance,has additional points for bizarre specifics like parents who follow a vegetarian diet,don’t consume tobacco or alcohol. Salwan Public School in Rajinder Nagar will reportedly give extra points to parents who have studied in Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) or Indian Institute of Management. (IIM)

If Jai doesn’t get admission in a preferred school,Puneet has Plan B ready: he will send him to any school that takes him and pursue admissions in a favoured institute again next year. Plan C involves shifting to Pune,where Puneet hopes to educate Jai at The Bishop’s School. “I’ll seek a transfer,” he says. Plans for a second child have been postponed. “I’ll lose out on the points that some schools give for only child,” says Puneet. Jai’s education has certainly sent his parents back to school.

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