Parents worry as schools prefer neighbours to siblings

Gone are the days when having a sibling already studying in the school of your choice guaranteed admission.

This admission season, educational institutes have begun following the Right to Education Act (RTE) guidelines that give preference to neighbourhood students over siblings of existing students. Parents, who have one child in the school but who live far away, are concerned that their other children may not get admission into the same school.

Jigna Dholakia, a resident of Kandivli (West), has a son studying in Senior KG at Thakur Public School, Kandivli (East). She is finding it difficult to get admission for her second daughter in that school.

“The school is giving preference to parents from Kandivli (East), and so we are at the bottom of the list. In the past, admission was virtually guaranteed for siblings. I had selected Thakur Public School because it gives equal importance to sports and academics. No other school in our area has a similar policy,” she said.

Deepti Srivastav, a parent whose daughter studies at Children’s Academy, Malad, said that her son was unable to secure admission in the same school. He is now studying in a school close to her house in Goregaon. “It’s a nightmare to have two children studying in different schools. It becomes difficult to coordinate their schedules, school activities, and trips,” she said.

Most of the schools in the city are following an RTE clause that requires them to prioritise neighbourhood children.

“The RTE talks about neighbourhood schools, where students living in the vicinity are given admission before those who don’t. We are following the law,” said Shama Mohan, principal, Thakur Public School.

Seema Buch of Gundecha Academy said that this clause is a nuisance for schools as well. “We used to admit siblings of existing students, because we had a history with the parents. We knew that they were responsible. But now this new clause forces us to admit parents we know nothing about,” she said.

While the law gives priority to neighbourhood children, parents argue that it is beneficial for them to have their children studying in the same school, as it helps in time management. “Having two children in separate schools can be a parent’s worst nightmare. It becomes easier to coordinate their open house days, sports days, annual days, etc,” added Dholakia.

Also, in times of emergency, it is easier to pick children from one school itself instead of running helter-skelter between schools, say parents. Moreover, parents feel that having both children in the same school increases the bonding between the siblings. “If they are in the same school, we feel secure that they will be there for each other. They are also able to help each other out with their homework.”

Meanwhile, some schools continue to follow the traditional procedures of admission. “In our school, we still give preference to siblings. But mostly the admission is on first-come-first-serve basis. Whether the parent lives in the neighbourhood or has a sibling in the school, he or she will get admission only on the basis of who filled the form first,” said Swati Popat, head of Podar Jumbo Kids.