Karnataka - Bangalore

Of school seats and hassled parents

By Our staff Reporter

BANGALORE, MAY 1. "My daughter has completed kindergarten and I submitted applications in three schools before I got the confirmation of a seat from one of them. I did not want to take the risk of going to just one school, as there is so much competition these days," says Satya, mother of a five-year-old.

As the time for another academic year sets in, it is also time for parents of pre-schoolers to fret over admissions and fee structures. Many reputed schools in the city have already closed admissions. "We started getting calls for admissions from as early as February, and now there are absolutely no seats available," says the headmistress of a reputed school on Richmond Road.

With increasing competition even at the primary school level, parents want to admit their children in prestigious schools that look at not only a child's academic but also extra-curricular interests. "The overall development of my child is more important to me than mere academics," says Rajesh Grover, father of a six-year-old child.

Entrance tests in subjects such as English and Mathematics, followed by interviews, is normally the procedure followed in most primary schools. With thousands of children seeking admission for a few hundred seats, the competition is tough. "It is senseless of schools to expect a pre-schooler to memorise what a first standard child is taught at school," says Christina, who has been trying to get her daughter admitted in one of the prominent schools in the city.

While reputed and sought-after schools in the city have strict admission procedures, many of the State-run schools have loosened their reins on admissions. "Earlier, we were fussy in our intake of students, but now competition is really high, and we have eased our procedures," says Geetha, a teacher at a State-run school in Indiranagar.

The tension does not end once admissions are over. The exorbitant fees and donations demanded by most schools have left the parents confused and concerned. Irrespective of whether their children benefit, the parents have to give in to the demands of the school, as they have no other choice. "I am paying Rs. 34,000 per year for my son in the third standard. In spite of that, I am not satisfied with the school. There is hardly any interaction between the school authorities and the parents, and whatever little interaction is there it is restricted to the annual functions," says Menon, a hassled parent.

With the recent order of the Supreme Court asking schools to have a restraint on the fee structure, many parents hope that merit will take over money.

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