Mission Admission

The self-worth of parents today depends on the school into which their child gains admission

I listen to horrific accounts of the nursery school admission process in Delhi with a mixture of glee and relief. Having opted for a school in Gurgaon for my kid, where the Delhi High Courts new regulations don8217;t apply I can, perhaps, afford a laugh.

This year, many schools have started demanding proof of education to keep a check on the swelling numbers of unscrupulous parents who cook up fancy educational qualifications. However, some of us who did humble honours courses from the university never bothered to collect our marksheets. A friend hoofed it to Hindu College, Delhi University, recently after 15 years to dig out her long-forgotten degree. She came back amazed at the changes at the university. 8220;It looks clean and a little like Riverdale,8221; she said. Another, who8217;s shifted cities several times since college, hasn8217;t a clue where his degree is. 8220;It8217;s the first time in my life anyone wants to see my third division,8221; he says.

Then there are the elaborate forms to fill. You have to wrack your brains for appropriate answers to questions like how you discipline your child without sounding like a complete phoney. If you admit to the occasional whack, chances are you8217;ll be history. I had been forewarned by experienced parents that the teachers grill you on your answers in the form, so to photocopy and mug them up right before the interview. One school goes so far in its quest to catch parents unawares that they interview parents separately and then compare answers.

At a recent interaction held at one of Delhi 8216;s most prestigious schools, parents waited four hours for a two-minute conversation with the respected principal. In one instance, the surly teacher, clearly fed up with her 272nd interaction of the day, didn8217;t bother looking up from the form. 8220;So, you are doctors, are you?8221; she barked to the parents. 8220;But you run your own practice. That makes you businessman,8221; she told the father accusingly. Professionals earning meagre salaries can take solace from the fact that at least for school principals, they stand a notch higher than businessmen.

In this insane rush, when demand exceeds supply by at least a thousand times, the self-worth of parents has begun to depend on which institution their kid makes it to. There8217;s a whole new industry thriving off devastated parents whose kids haven8217;t made it anywhere. People pay money to counsellors and educationists who hold regular classes to help you crack the system.

One parent who has moved residence and lives adjacent to a school she8217;s planning to apply to, put it simply: 8220;I get maximum points for living close to the school. I8217;ll sue them if they reject me.8221; Maybe, these days that8217;s what it takes.