NEW DELHI: The 2,000 budget private schools in the city are in a fix as most of them haven’t got any fresh enrolments in nursery, KG and Class I owing to the pandemic.
However, the directorate of education (DoE) has allotted children from economically weaker section/disadvantaged (EWS/DG) category to these schools.
School authorities say the rule is one EWS/DG admission for three general category students, so what does it mean for them now?
Congratulations!You have successfully cast your voteLogin to view resultMost of these recognised schools, which enrol students from nursery to Class VIII, are located in the bylanes of unauthorised and other colonies.
For instance, Ideal Radiant Public School in Shiv Vihar used to get around 100 students for entry-level classes prior to the pandemic, but this year they haven’t got a single admission.
Chandrakant Singh, principal of the school, said, “Last year, I had three admissions.
Parents do not prefer online classes and say they will wait till the school opens physically.
Now, the government has sent 18 EWS children to my school, 13 in nursery and the rest for KG.” These children are yet to be admitted because the school is unsure if it can sustain itself.
Rajesh Malhotra of Sai Nath Public School in Sangam Vihar said, “We haven’t been able to collect fees from even general category students.
In this situation, the government should have thought about giving us the EWS reimbursement.” He was lucky to get four general category students admitted in Class I.
“Five EWS children were allotted to my school.
I have admitted one of them against the four general category admissions.
I don’t know what to do about the others.
It’s unfair for parents too as they have to run from pillar to post.
No one understands our position,” said Malhotra, who has been waiting in his office every day for admission walk-ins, but without any luck.
Hiralal Pandey, the manager of Bharti Model School at Nawada in southwest Delhi, doesn’t know what to do with the 48 EWS students allotted to his school.
The last date of admissions is June 30 and the schools are worried.
“I have been running this school for the past 20 years.
I’m at a huge loss as I’ve been paying teachers from my own pocket.
I do not have admissions in nursery, KG and Class I.
Earlier, close to 600 children were studying here, but now there are only around 200, most of them under the EWS category,” said Pandey.
Rajdhani Public School in Vikas Nagar has been allotted 46 EWS children, who are bound to face problems.
“No one wants to clarify on this issue and take accountability.
The schools will be blamed for not admitting students, but no one understands our problems,” said Umesh Tyagi from the school administration.
DoE director Udit Prakash Rai did not respond to TOI’s calls for comments.
