Schools in Mumbai mint money during nursery admissions

Getting a toddler admitted to a nursery school in the city has become a parent’s worst nightmare. With admission forms costing as much as Rs5,000 and fees being higher, parents admit that the process is burning deep holes in their pockets.

While seeking admission for her three-year-old daughter in a reputed pre-school chain in Santa Cruz, Sonali Jain was surprised when a vendor close to the school handed her the contact number of a tout. “I have been told that if I pay Rs2.5 lakh, they will be able to ensure a seat,” she said.

“Considering how much the vendor knew - like my daughter’s age and the class we are seeking admission for - it seems that these touts and schools are hand in glove with each other.”

However, it is not just touts but play schools too that seem to be in the trade. “A few days ago, I got a message from my daughter’s playschool that if I pay it around Rs3 lakh, it will guarantee admission to a reputed school,” said another parent, Reena.

An authority from a school in Santa Cruz said, “It is surprising to hear about donations. Parents should inform the police and the school authorities if they are approached by such people.”

For the sake of their children, though, parents are willing to make huge donations. A reputed school in South Mumbai has only three seats left and is reportedly auctioning them off for as much as Rs15 lakh, said a parent.

Also, the schools are selling thousands of admission forms for a few seats for as much as Rs2,500 to Rs5,000. Ramanuj Gupta, father of a child, said, “One can imagine how much schools are earning by selling over 3,000 forms for 60-100 seats.”

Head of an international school in Goregaon said, “The amount charged on the form covers the application’s processing fee as also the cost of the time, resources and manpower that the school will put in going through the form. The cost of the form is high because we to receive applications only from those who are serious about admission.” 

“Such practices are prevalent in pre-schools because there is no regulation controlling the early-education sector,” said Jayant Jain, president of Forum for Fairness.