Government thinking about online nursery admissions, says Kejriwal

Scrapping of management quota for nursery admissions in private schools has thrown open 50 per cent extra seats for common man, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said, even as he asserted that the government had no intention of "interfering" into the daily affairs of the schools.

The chief minister also said that the Delhi government will "think" about online admissions on 75 per cent open seats in the next year.

"The Delhi government has made school admissions totally transparent. Scrapping management quota, which were used to oblige recommendations of politicians, government functionaries and powerful people, has opened nearly 50 per cent extra seats for common man," Mr Kejriwal said at an interaction with parents seeking admission for their wards.

The government has "cut its own hands" in doing so as the school admission process will now take place in a transparent manner without any recommendations, he said.

"Now, the schools will not have their say in it. Those who will not follow guidelines and rules will be decrecognised," Mr Kejriwal said, adding that his government had no intention of "interfering" in their day to day affairs.
"We are not going to benefit from it and the government and the chief minister have rather cut our hands otherwise our volunteers would bring recommendations and we would be doling out seats for admissions," he said.

Replying to complaints and suggestions of parents seeking admission for their children, Mr Kejriwal said the management quota and 62 criteria for admissions were scrapped as they were not "reasonable, fair and transparent".

"We believed in schools and allowed them to upload their admission criteria by December 31. But some of the schools betrayed our faith and reserved upto 75 per cent seats through these criteria and various quota like alumni and sibling quota."

The chief minister said that the admissions on 25 per cent seats under EWS quota were also riddled with irregularities and the government has now made this process online.

"They will have no better government than this one if they want to do good things but they will also not found any worse government if they indulge in irregularities," he warned.

"Now, the schools will not have their say in it. Those who will not follow guidelines and rules will be decrecognised," Mr Kejriwal said, adding that his government had no intention of "interfering" in their day to day affairs.

"We will think about online admissions on 75 per cent open seats in the next year," he said in reply to a suggestion by one of the parents.