New Delhi:
They woke up at the crack of dawn, braved the cold and the rain and stood in long queues for hours. Many of them had even taken leave from work, all for the prized nursery admission form for their child.
''I am very nervous. God knows what will happen. We are hassled since morning,'' says one of the them standing in the queues for taking form.
"It's been a long wait. And it's raining,'' says another standing in the same queue.
''We are trying our best. We will try in 10 schools. Any one will work out,'' says yet another.
The race for seats is tough as Navita Sikri found out. She reached this school 5 minutes late and the gates had already shut.
''Some schools had it from 9 am to 12 noon. Some had it from 8 am to 11 am. There was confusion about the timings,'' says Navita Sikri, parent of one the admission seekers.
"It's easier to get a ticket to contest elections. The schools have made the procedure to get admission forms so difficult,'' adds Sikri.
By and large admissions forms will be available till the end of the month and will have to be submitted by January 15. But collection and submission deadlines are different for different schools. So parents must check with each school.
The first list will be out on February 1 and by March 31 admissions will wrap up.
TIMETABLE: DELHI NURSERY ADMISSIONSCollect admission forms between December 15 and January 15
Submit admission forms between December 15 and January 15
Collection and submission deadlines different for different schools
February 1: First list out
March 31: Admissions wrap up
The day one of nursery admissions was a mixed bag. While some parents are hoping things will be smoother this year, most others say they're anxious and keeping their fingers crossed. They know all too well that it's a long road ahead.