New Delhi: After undergoing a rigorous
selection procedure, parents of tiny tots aiming for seats
in top nursery schools in Delhi say they are now facing the
biggest hurdle -- 'donation fees' which ranged from Rs 50,000
to Rs 5 lakh.
While these fees left many baffling, others rue that
the non-transparent points system and early results reduced
their kids' chance to get a seat in schools of their choice.
"A top school in Vasant Kunj has asked for donation of
Rs 100,000 for securing our ward's admission," writes a parent
on admissionsnursery.com, a website where parents share their
admission-related experiences.
"Yes, they asked for an astronomical amount of Rs 1
lakh. Also we are asked to keep mobiles and bags outside so
that one may not record their conversations," claims R S
Chadha.
Another parent Vikram writes that a top school having
its presence through out the national capital has "asked for
Rs 5 lakh for a seat under its management quota".
Sumit Vohra, who runs the website, concurs, saying
many parents have complained about this trend adopted by
almost all private schools in Delhi and NCR.
"This is the true face of the capital's education
system, or you can say the commercialisation of the system,"
Vohra told a news agency.
The Directorate of Education (DoE), he says, is very
strict this year but till someone does not bring the problem
to their notice how it will take any action.
Delhi Education Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely had
earlier said he was aware of violations but his department
could only act against a school if it receives complaints from
parents.
"If they show us a receipt, we can act on it. Most
parents don't come forward," Lovely had said.
The Federation of Public Schools, which has around 300
schools under its ambit in Delhi, also acknowledged the issue.
"We have received some complaints against some schools
demanding money without receipt. But when we intervened, the
schools agreed to give receipts," says R P Mallik, chairman of
the federation, without naming the schools.
He, however, says if parents come out with evidence, "we
will take action against the schools concerned".
When contacted, several schools denied such reports and
said they always issued proper receipts for payments.
"We give receipt of the full amount of the fees
deposited by parents," says Rekha Bakshi, principal of Vasant
Valley School.
"Who says, we are not giving receipts? Every thing is
very transparent here although we have a higher fee-structure.
And then, if you want better education and service, you need
to pay more," says an official of Noida's Step By Step School.
Another major hurdle the parents are facing is the
early publication of results by some schools. The DoE has
mandated that no schools should come out with their results
before February 1.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, January 31, 2010, 11:54