Selection jitters for parents

SMITA KUMAR

Patna, Jan. 23: Confusion over students' selection process ruled day one of the school admission formalities at two institutes in the state capital.

Parents, who queued up today in front of Carmel High School and Don Bosco Primary School to collect the registration forms for their wards' admission, knew the students would be selected through lottery but were not sure if the lots would be drawn in front of them.

According to Right to Education Act, 2009, schools have to conduct a random selection or lottery to select students for admission in their institutions.

Birendra Kumar Sinha, a parent who collected a registration form Carmel High School, told The Telegraph: "Schools have given no clear instructions about the random selection process. They have said students would be selected through lottery. I feel the selection should be made in front of the parents or the guardians of applicants for transparency."

School authorities, however, said they could not conduct random selection in front of the parents of all the applicants.

A.G. deRozario, director, Don Bosco Academy told The Telegraph that the formality would be conducted before the school managing committee that included two parents. "It cannot be done in front of all the parents. There is a huge rush and we cannot accommodate everyone," he said.

The director added that the school had sold 800 forms today.

G.J. Galstaun, director, St Dominic Savio's High School, said: "The Right to Education Act says that the random selection should beheld for all applicants including those who would be admitted in the underprivileged category. But the Act does not state that this has to be done in front of the parents of the applicants. We do not mind inviting parents. However, our managing committee has two parents and we will conduct the random selection in front of them."

Parents, on the other hand, insisted that allowing them to witness the random selection would make the process more transparent.

S.K. Mandal, who had come to Don Bosco Primary School to get a form, said: "It is not clear whether the random selection would be held in front of us. Had it been clear, we would have been happier."

Whether the schools accept their demand or not, the enthusiasm among the parents was very high today. Many of them lined up as early as 5am and waited patiently for hours to collect the forms. Homemaker Jyoti Kumari, waiting in a queue in Don Bosco Primary School, said: "I am tense because of the long queue."

Not everyone was patient though. Ravi Roy, one of parents in the queue, said: "I would have got the form earlier if most of the guardians did not buy two to three forms at a time. Most people bought forms for their friends who came late to the school and were waiting behind in the queue."