Principals and parents disapprove of move to ban admission tests for enrollment in the primary section.
Though the union government has tried its best to ensure education for all without any discrimination, several objections have been raised against the new rules mentioned in the Right To Education (RTE) Act.
A case in point would be the ban on entrance tests, which has met with strong disapproval from parents.
Under the RTE Act, a school cannot conduct any type of admission tests for enrolment to the primary section and admission must be granted to all secondary students, subject only to vacancy. The aim was to ensure admission for all without discriminating by way of marks or IQ of the child.
Principal of HB Kapadia School, Ranjeeta Gill, says there will be a lot of chaos during admissions of primary and secondary sections. "It sounds good theoretically, but when practically implemented, there will be problems. The government, instead of ensuring transparency, has given rise to ambiguity and, eventually, underhand activities."
Speaking to DNA, principal of St Xavier's Loyola School, Father Ferdinand Durai said, "All schools require some kind of criteria to select students, this ensures that the quality of the institute is not compromised. The education board has suggested granting of admissions on two grounds - one being 'first come first served' basis and secondly, drawing chits (akin to a lucky draw). We will be following these methods."
This has led to a lot of tension among parents as they feel neither of the two methods is appropriate. The president of Ahmedabad School Parents' Association (ASPA), Ajay Mishra, said that majority of the parents are displeased as the methods by which admissions shall be provided have loopholes.
"Though the first-come method sounds perfect, schools will try to keep their standards up by providing admission to those students who have scored well. Though an average student may apply first, the school will try to enroll one who has scored better," he said.
The association has also submitted a memorandum to the education board demanding other mechanisms for admission, but as of yet there has been no response from the board, added Mishra.
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