The first thing that strikes about the recent Delhi High Court’s decision in that such an issue is being referred to the judiciary for a solution. Surely, educationists and specialists in the field would be better equipped to address the concerns that all stake holders are feeling during admission to nursery.

There’s a complete mismatch between supply and demand. More popular private schools receive more than 2000 applications for seats as few as 100. Obviously this leads to great frustration among those parents whose aspirations for there children remain unfulfilled. In such a situation, where all children cannot be granted admission, there has to be a certain selection procedure.

In early nineties, a nation wide campaign was launched by the academy of pediatricians, department of NCERT and concerned educationists. The aim was to draw attention to trauma the nursery children were experiencing. As a result of the campaign, the admission tests were abolished and various guidelines were suggested to schools as alternative selection method.

One was first come first serve method. But this resulted in pandemonium with aspiring parents queuing up all night and jumping over walls to get further in the queue. Another method was lottery system, but the whole concept of lucky draw was found to be quite unacceptable.

Random selection devoid of assessments and thought process will not suit our schools which are very diverse in nature. The method which has been found most suitable for private schools is selection be short listing parents on the biases of comprehensive study of the registration forms. In this, applicants have to provide information about their child and themselves. The forms should be designed to elicit pertinent answers from the parents. They should not raise any issue relating to cast, income or any other divisive factors.

Parents are then called for an interaction with or without their children. Here a distinction is made between interviewing and interaction. Interaction is more of verification and socialization process where principal and member of selecting committee interact with parents on the bases of mutual understanding and equality. Interaction becomes a stress free format for admitting children into nursery classes. Parents who have children with some special problem or disability can also bring into the notice so that it can be attended to.

However right of choice must remain with schools. Parents apply to only private unaided schools of their choice. Schools must also be a given a similar choice to select their parents and through them their students which is also provided Delhi Schools Education Act.