Admissions down, dropouts up in city’s smaller private schools

A MAJORITY OF THESE SCHOOLS ARE LOW-COST, CATERING TO THE CHILDREN OF LOWERMIDDLE-CLASS FAMILIES. IN SOME SCHOOLS, PARENTS OF 20%-30% STUDENTS HAVE WITHDRAWN ADMISSIONS

nNEW DELHI: Several private schools in the national capital have witnessed fewer enrolments in entry-level classes this year amid the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the school managements, many parents have even pulled out their children, citing financial constraints triggered by a nationwide lockdown to contain the pandemic.

A majority of these private schools are smaller ones charging monthly tuition fees between ₹600 and ₹1,300 per student and catering to the children of lowermiddle-class families.

Hari Prakash Sharma, the chairperson of New Happy Public School in Narela Mandi, said they have 80 seats in entry-level classes—nursery, kindergarten and Class 1.

“We have received only six or seven admissions this year as of now. It’s never happened before. Parents of at least 80 students have withdrawn their wards’ admissions in the last two months, citing financial issues. We do not know how we will survive this year since we are not even receiving fees from all students. We cannot even pay our staff,” he said. The school offers education up to Class 8 and charges ₹1,100 tuition fees per student per month.

Other schools are also facing a similar situation.

Dharampal Sehrawat, the chairperson of Shiva Model School in Bawana that offers classes up to Class 10, said that they have received no admission to nursery and kindergarten this year. “We do not have a nursery class this year. A majority of students who were promoted from nursery to kindergarten have left. At least 10-15 students have applied for transfer certificates (TCS) in every class. We are in terrible shape now. The overall enrolment has drastically reduced this year,” he said. The school charges ₹800 tuition fees per student per month.

Priyanka Gulati, the principal of Evergreen Public School that has primary branches in both Mayur Vihar-1 and Acharya Niketan, said that both the branches have received very few admissions this year. “Every year, all our sections are usually full by this time. But this year, we only have a handful of admissions in both branches. It will be a major challenge to run two branches with such a thin strength this year. We do not know how we will retain our staff,” she said.

In some schools in rural areas of Delhi, parents of as many as 20%-30% students have withdrawn their admissions. Pradeep Vats, the chairperson of Marigold Public School in northwest Delhi’s Katewara, said that 30% of the 1,400 students enrolled in their school have left. “Many parents have said that they won’t be able to pay the fees this year citing financial crises. They have said they will enrol them in government schools,” he said.

While government schools are yet to begin non-planned admissions, the three civic bodies—north, east and south— started the admission process in their schools on July 20. Students who migrate from MCD to Delhi government schools in Class 6 are called ‘planned admissions’, those who migrate from any other school to any class are called ‘non-planned admissions’.

An advisor to Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia, who requested anonymity, said that the government will soon start the admission process in its schools. “The migration of Class 6 students from MCD schools to Delhi government schools is already completed. We will soon start admission to other classes as well. There is a huge possibility of private schools students moving to government schools in large numbers this year. Also, parents now know that government schools in Delhi are equally good or even better than several private schools,” the advisor said.

Principles of several municipal schools said that this year they have admitted several students who were earlier studying at private schools in the neighbourhood.

Lalit Ahuja, the principal of the south civic body school in Aya Nagar, said, “We admitted a few students from private schools in almost every class within a week of the commencement of admissions.”