Nursery admissions begin in Delhi amid online-offline hassle

Nursery admissions began today in over 1800 private unaided schools in the national capital where parents were confused about the enrollments under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) which has been made online for the first time.

Certain technical hiccups were witnessed in the morning which were restored later in the day. The webpage for EWS online nursery admission was down barely few hours after the process begin. Also, the website of Queen’s Mary School in Model Town said “hacked”.

The government’s move to make the EWS admission process online for schools recognised under  Delhi School Education Act and Rules (DSEAR), 1973 and continue with the offline process for schools recognised under the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009, saw parents hassled about which school is under which category.

Also, computer access was also seen a problem for parents under the EWS and Disadvantaged Group (DG) category.

“If there was an offline form I would have tried to seek someone’s help to fill it, now I need to look for someone who knows computer and internet and can do it on my behalf. Also all the follow ups will be online which means I need to bank upon someone I am yet to find,” said Munna Rajbhai, who runs a tea-stall in Model Town.

Asha Devi, who works as a baby-sitter in Mayapuri said, “ I went to a cyber cafe and asked the owner to do it for me. He charged me Rs 100 for it. But I am relieved that it is done”.

The confusion is not only among those seeking admission under EWS but also general category.

Nita Vashishth, who came to Modern School Barakhamba road for her daughter’s admission said, “not all schools are selling offline forms. We had to personally visit certain schools to know what their process is like. How many schools can you cover in one day?.”