Leave the kids alone: Delhi HC

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court, on Wednesday, issued an order restraining private schools from interviewing both children and their parents as part of the admission procedure. The court ordered, "Under the garb of discretion of school management, admissions are granted and rejected in an arbitrary manner."

The court recalled that even though the Association of Unaided Private Schools had assured in an affidavit that suitable parameters would be evolved to dispense with the practice, no such efforts had been made even four months after the assurance. The court further said, "We are now giving you one last chance to come up with suggestions."

The last chance that the court ordered has sent schools in the city in a tizzy. Principals say that no school actually interviews a child, as they are too young.

"We simply observe the child for physical fitness. Regarding parents, we only want to check how alert and aware they are. Obviously we cannot allow a policy of first come and first serve," said Goldie Behl, Principal Modern School, Vasant Vihar.

Teachers have also spoken against the court order. A Delhi Public school teacher teaching in nursery says, "Kids today are smart. If you allow them to talk and express themselves, you obviously get an idea of their intellect. There is nothing wrong with the present system."

But parents feel otherwise. Many of them say that when they would take their children for admission, most schools during their interview would enquire about their financial status and then ask for donations.

"The schools inevitably ask us for some sort of monetary help. I am quite sure that they will still find ways to ask us to donate," says Sneh Lata, the mother of a four-year-old.

Jyoti Bose, Principal, Springdales, Dhaula Kuan disagrees and clarifies, "When we speak to parents, it is to simply verify the details submitted." Most schools said they still needed to formulate an alternative policy, as the order has come out only today.