VIJAYAWADA: A majority of private schools of Krishna district have begun admission process for lower kindergarten (LKG) for the new academic year 2019-20, going against the guidelines issued by the State government.
Though entrance tests for children seeking admission were abolished by the government, many schools are conducting them in the name of assessment tests and taking thousands of rupees as donations from parents.
It may be noted that donation for an LKG admission in a reputed school of Vijayawada is between Rs 10,000 and Rs 40,000. After shortlisting students based on their marks, some schools are conducting interviews of children and parents. Though the government has laid down clear guidelines on the process to be adopted for admissions, the school managements were given a free hand to choose the fee structure.
Vivekananda School principal K Murthy said, “It will be better to educate a child after knowing his or her strength, understanding his or her capabilities etc. We are not conducting entrance tests. We are conducting only assessment tests to assess the abilities of children and their parents. Every school follows its own pattern (for admissions).”
It has been learnt that some schools are asking the parents to join their wards in pre-schools. The objective, they say, is to make them attend the pre-schools regularly for three months so as to get used to a classroom. Speaking to TNIE, Deputy DEO, Krishna district, K Ravikumar said, “All schools should adhere to the guidelines, else we will take action against them. Soon, we will conduct a meeting with all school managements and inspect the schools for any irregularity.”