Nursery admission row: Parents oppose AAP govt's order

Parents, whose kids are to be admitted in nursery this year, today told the Delhi High Court that the AAP government's order to private unaided schools to to admit students in nursery using the neighbourhood criteria, is bad in law and has curtailed their fundamental rights.
"We are not concerned with the terms of (DDA) allotment letter. We are opposed to the Delhi government's decision as it has restricted our choice or right to decide where to send our children for study," senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, appearing for the parents, told Justice Manmohan.
"This choice or right cannot be restricted by an executive order. The order completely eliminates our right to apply in these 298 schools. By way of this order our fundamental rights cannot be curtailed," Sethi argued on behalf of the parents, who are aspiring to admit their children in these schools.

The parents, the Action Committee of Unaided Recognised Private Schools and the Forum for Promotion of Quality Education, have moved the court against the Delhi government's recent order on the ground that the neighbourhood restriction was "not reasonable".
The two circulars of December 19, 2016 and January 7, 2017 have enforced the allotment clause and have thereby restricted admission in schools on DDA land in their locality.
The court, however, by way of an interim order had allowed the parents to fill up the application forms for the various schools based on the criteria set by them as well as the Delhi government.

Later, it had also stayed the government's notification asking private minority unaided schools to accept nursery admission forms using neighbourhood criteria.

The associations and the parents concluded arguments today. The court will tomorrow hear the submissions of the government and other authorities concerned.
298 private unaided schools on DDA land were affected by the nursery admission guidelines which state that such institutes "shall not refuse admission to the residents of the locality".
Defining what neighbourhood would mean, the guidelines say that students residing within one km of the school will be preferred and if seats are not filled, preference will be given to students residing within 1-3 kms of the school.

"Students residing beyond 6 kms shall be admitted only in case vacancies remain unfilled even after considering all the students within 6 km area," as per the guidelines.