Chaos outside the Springdales School at Pusa Road in New Delhi
It's that time of the year again when children and their parents go through a harrowing time, running from pillar to post in their quest for a nursery seat.
Monday afternoon witnessed chaotic scenes at one of Delhi's leading schools, this time over the economically weaker section or EWS category. Thousands of parents descended on Springdales in Pusa Road for the draw of lots that was meant to decide the fate of their children. But once the lists were put up, all hell broke loose.
The school announced that the first preference would be given to children who lived within a one kilometre-radius. In no time, protests erupted with the Principal almost gheraoed by angry, slogan-shouting parents who said their children had been eliminated from the admission process just because they stayed 2-3 kilometres away from the school.
"Where do our children go? Why didn't the school tell us beforehand that we didn't stand a chance?" asked 25-year-old Roshni, who said her electrician husband couldn't afford to send their daughter to a private school under the general category.
Terming the rules unfair and anti-poor, the parents demanded that all children within an eight-kilometre radius be included in the lottery. Things got out of hand and the school was forced to cancel the draw.
Furious parents, meanwhile, sat on a
dharna outside the school, blocking traffic for close to two hours.
But the Principal said she was helpless as the school was bound by Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung's order.
"The L-G's guidelines clearly say first preference should be given to those staying within a 1-km radius... Can we defy the L-G's order?" Ameeta Mullah Wattal said.
For the desperate parents, matters have been made worse by the fact that government schools don't even have nursery classes. Education there begins with class 1.
But it's a story that plays out every year. With applications far outnumbering the seats, it's the parents and their children who become hapless victims.