BENGALURU: It is that time of year when school admissions is the buzzword. Parents who are applying for the new academic year, are crying foul over the rising cost of forms and prospectus, which range from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000.
Members of school associations and citizens say there is a need to control escalating costs and the admission method, but government officials say they have little or no control.
“I have been saving money for the past two years for my daughter’s admission to a private school in Sarjapur. I have also been contacting schools to know when admissions will start. Some schools are already issuing admission forms. My wife and I have started purchasing them so we have the best options available, and each form and prospectus is nothing less than Rs 2,000,” said Shobhit B, a resident of Sarjapur Road.
Ditto with Swathi L, a resident of Kanakapura Road. “I want to admit my son in the school where all other children of the apartment complex study. I stood in the queue for over three hours to get the application form, which itself cost Rs 3,000. Now we are checking our savings to arrange the admission fee and donation amount.”
Puneeth M, a resident of Whitefield, said: “In other states, admissions usually start in January or February, and the situation is not as bad as it is in Bengaluru. Here, the admission process starts from October and ends by December in most schools, parents don’t have the choice of seeing the school’s performance.”
Jerry George Mathew, member of the Anglo-Indian Schools Association, said none of their schools is making money from the sale of application forms, which are over subscribed. While the association is reviewing the cost of forms, some schools have said the price cannot be reduced.
D Shashi Kumar, general secretary, Associated Management of English Medium Schools in Karnataka, said the government was unable bring in an amendment to regulate or control school admissions and fees. The government has little or no control over the cost of forms and prospectus, and can only bring in regulations, which are not followed by private schools, he said.
Ritesh Kumar Singh, principal secretary, School Education and Literacy department, said government schools don’t issue forms, only private institutions do it. Private schools have an association and they should self-regulate. However, the issue will now be checked by the government as many voices are being raised, he added.