BENGALURU: It is that time of the year again when parents who want to change their children’s school or have recently moved to Bengaluru, begin the chase for a seat in a "good school."
Though the Karnataka Education Act, 1995, states that the heads of educational institutions must display details regarding admission process, date of issue of applications, last date for receipt of applications and other related information only in April, institutes openly flout the law year after year. Several well-known and “sought-after” schools already have put up their admission forms for the year 2020- 2021 on their websites.
When TNIE called several schools to enquire about the admission process, many said they already started the admissions. A CBSE school said it had put up the admission form on its website on September 1 itself. Another school said that the Montessori seats were already filled up.
Yet another said that seats from nursery to 5th grade were filled in September itself. The lower grades were filling up fast and almost closed, in several schools that TNIE checked with. A few said they will begin the process in December.
“I am looking to enrol my daughter in nursery and I am looking for admission in schools but it seems we are late already. Most schools told us that the seats were filled up in August or October itself through online applications. We are even ready to change our residence to be nearer to the school she joins. If some parents miss the nursery admissions, they enrol the child directly in Class 1 for two years later by completing the admission in the current year itself, which is way in advance. We are considering that option as well,” said Vikas, a parent.
"Some parents apply for admission two years in advance and pay a donation for the seat. This is by cash only. It is difficult to get a seat in a good school and the donations are a huge burden on us," said a parent who did not wish to be named.
Commissioner of Public Instruction KG Jagadeesha said,” We have already clearly instructed all Deputy Directors of Public Instruction (DDPI) that admissions must start in April as per the Act. If they receive complaints from parents about admissions starting earlier, they must take action against the institutions.”