Sale of nursery admission forms begins in Delhi

New Delhi: The sale of nursery admission forms begins in schools across Delhi at 8.30 am on Monday. The common admission forms will be available for the first time and free of cost for economically weaker sections in keeping with Directorate of Education's latest guidelines.

The forms can be picked up till January 16.

With the start of nursery admission process, parents are all set for the winter scramble to secure a seat for their children in schools of their choice.

Keeping in mind the harrowing experience they had last year, many parents joined online to alert others on how they could avoid unnecessary difficulties that often put hurdles in their "mission admission".

"Expect long queues outside schools without any sitting arrangement and it may take from two to three hours in few schools to get the forms. So ready for that. Don't take your tiny tots along with you," advices Pramod Kumar in a messaged posted on www.admissionsnursery.com.

Kumar, who claims to have applied in 23 schools for his child's admission last year, also suggests parents to read the forms carefully, fill them up and submit the same day to avoid multiple trips to the school.

"Going by my experience last year, I would suggest that parents reach school early," says Asha in her message to the parents.

Maharam, another parent on the forum, has posted a format of the affidavit required for applying in the first boy child category.

"There has been huge discussion on many such issues that can help parents to do their homework before plunging into this battle for admission," says Sumit Vohra, the founder of the website.

"These discussions are not only making parents aware about the intricacies of the admission process, but also making the entire process easier for them," he said.

As per the guidelines issued by Directorate of Education of Delhi, the forms will be made available from January 2 to 16, and the entire process of admission will have to be completed by March 31. The schools will have to publish the first list of selected candidates by February 1 and second list by February 28.

Meanwhile, many schools across the city have issued guidelines for parents to ensure smooth sale of forms.

"It's important for parents to be punctual as they have to queue up outside the school. We can't issue forms after the scheduled time," says Jyoti Bose, principal of Springdales School, Dhaula Kuan.

"Parents must carry the requisite documents when they come to fill forms. But the most important documents are proof of birth," says Usha Ram, principal of Laxman Public School.

There are about 4,500 schools in Delhi and NCR, of them over 2,000 are unaided private schools, which have been the first preference of parents.

(With additional information from PTI)